Problems
by DJ Dubois
Summary: Six weeks following "Return to Orchard Cove", Cuddy discovers a certain troublesome situation that has all sorts of ramifications for her and House. What's going to happen? R and R!
1. Cuddy's Not Feeling Well

Problems

Problems

DJ Dubois

August 2008

Notes Part 1: This is the third story in a trilogy following "Gone For the Weekend" and "Back to Orchard Cove".

Notes Part 2: The characters from House MD belong to FOX and David Shore. All other characters are fictitious and are of my own creation. Please send comments to .

Chapter 1 February 12th—House's suite

In the second full week of February, the world seemed to slow. Everybody rushed out to make sure they had something special for their loved ones on Valentine's Day. Chocolates, flowers, poetry and cards were in the air. Dinner reservations flowed over telephones. Good wishes gushed in preparation for the big event everywhere….

…well almost everywhere.

In his glass enclosed sanctum, House sat engrossed with his favorite soap. While the cases piled up and the Ducklings were in the Clinic, he'd get to watch love in his preferred manner: behind a protective glass screen with zero chance of interaction.

Still he had to admit that the December trip back to the UP did have its benefits. He still was immune from Clinic duty for at least the next two months. The cases had been more interesting for some reason. Watching Cameron and Chase trying to keep their romance secret (even if Foreman and he both knew) provided nonstop entertainment.

But most of all, he couldn't get his boss out of his mind. Along with everything else, she'd taken more of an active part in his thoughts than he wanted to admit. The sex and shared creativity on the trip had definitely triggered something as they had several such experiences in their homes. _Get a grip, House! Cuddy's as interested in settling down as you are! That means ZERO CHANCE. _

A knock came from the door. "Oh now what?" House asked incredulously. He saw Wilson standing there watching him. "Yeah? I'm busy."

"Funny. It looks like you're watching the soap again while the rest of us are working on cases, House," Wilson groused while entering the suite.

House rolled his eyes. "Don't you have shopping to do for your many girlfriends or something? I hear the Big Day's coming."

"I've got that under control," Wilson retorted evenly. "How about you?"

"What about me?" House wondered with sarcasm.

"You do have something ready for Cuddy, right?" Wilson supposed. When he received no answer, he shook his head. "House, don't be an idiot."

"You know the Empress owns every red thong in the universe. What does she need one more for?" House retorted.

"It isn't just about underwear and sex, House!" Wilson rubbed his forehead and started to pace, considering how to drive the point through his best friend's thick skull. "Look, you get Cuddy in a bad mood, it doesn't just affect you. We all have to deal with it."

"Wow," House gasped with effect.

"Finally you get it. Somebody call the press," Wilson hoped.

"You're looking out for yourself rather than me. Seems I am rubbing off on you, Wilson. About time," House crowed, allowing himself an intense 'in your face' style smirk.

Wilson shook his head and raised his hands in the air in consternation. "ARGH! What is it with you, House? Why are you such an ass sometimes?"

"My charm and good wit, maybe? Now if you don't mind, I've got some real entertainment to get back to," House noted before turning his back on Wilson.

_Why do I even bother sometimes? _Wilson walked away knowing that Hurricane Lisa would blow three days later and it wouldn't be pretty.

"Love, ain'tcha sweet?" House supposed. "Let Wilson and the others deal with it. I went with her to the damn UP. That should be enough."

Little did he suspect that he'd already given Cuddy a present. One that really would cause problems…..


	2. Lab Test

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cuddy's Suite

Even as House blew off Valentine's Day, Cuddy inspected the latest set of fiscal projections for PPTH's newest charity: the Angels of Paradise. For the previous month, she'd met with several donors to bankroll the program which would help defray costs for children who needed experimental treatments. Between local folks and surprisingly, some donations from Orchard Cove, the charity ran out of the blocks full speed ahead.

She leaned back into the cushions while considering the aftermath of her trip with House during Christmas week. At the time she'd dreaded going to her class reunion. Given the response from the sheriff and the bullies, it seemed justified at first. However, after a bad beginning, the trip had paid benefits. The sex had been great. The old wrongs had been made right by the townspeople. Hell, even losing the fishing and House's Clinic time had been worth it.

Speaking of House, he'd been paying more attention to her since their return. Several times, he'd popped in on her at the house unexpectedly. Granted he was looking for a handout but he didn't argue when she made him "work" for it.

And she visited his office too. It wasn't that hard to dream up excuses of write ups and gibes to go at House with (even if he was behaving himself relatively speaking). She did need to be careful with how the relationship was developing. _The Board thinks I'm giving House too much ground as it is. Imagine if they knew what was REALLY going on? _She rolled her eyes.

Geraldine, her new office assistant, knocked on her door. "Dr. Cuddy, Dr. Wilson's here."

"Send him in," Cuddy agreed. When the oncologist marched in, she knew immediately what the problem was. "Wilson, don't bug House. Okay?"

"He was watching soaps again! Cuddy, there were cases piled up on his desk including the Ratner file! That man will die in two days unless House gets off his ass!" he ranted while covering his real reason for the visit.

"I'll deal with that. Just tone it down a bit," she requested while rubbing her head and leaning up against the desk. "What else was going on?"

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Come on, Wilson. I know you too well. You were up there reminding House about Valentine's Day, weren't you?" she supposed. When he didn't respond, she shook her head. "It's okay. I don't really expect anything from House. That would take sensitivity. He's been all right the last two months. That's all I really want."

"He can act like a grown up," Wilson fumed.

"And so can you. Wilson, this isn't a competition. I appreciate the concern for me and the rest of the hospital. Let me deal with House. You've got Clinic duty coming up. Get a coffee before that," she indicated while sitting back down.

He looked at her, noting her symptoms. "Are you all right?"

"Sure. Just some bad reports to deal with. Leads to sleepless nights and upset stomachs. Why?" she asked.

"You usually deal with that stuff without much of a problem," he noted. "Maybe we should have you checked out."

"Once again thank you but…" she started to object.

"Maybe something happened on the trip?" he proposed absently and to himself rather than her.

"Excuse me?" she asked. "Wilson!"

"You two do have a history and you're in a relationship. Things like that happen." He ran his hand through his hair. "I hope not for your sakes."

She chuckled. "Wilson, I think I'd know if something like that was going on." Still she could do the math. She realized that she'd missed her last period. Worse, it had been six weeks since Orchard Cove. _What if he's right? _

"Maybe do a test and find out?" he suggested.

"I'll do that. Why don't you get to the Clinic? I'll let you know," Cuddy indicated.

"Okay. If you need to talk, let me know," he offered before leaving.

She bit her lip. "What if he's right? Best get this over with." She powered down her computer and headed toward the lab in question. "Geraldine, take messages. I'll be out for a while."

"Sure, Dr. Cuddy. Thanks," the assistant agreed.

_Let's hope it's a false alarm!_

Half an hour later—Ob-Gyn Department

Having claimed "Dean's prerogative" (and pulled a favor from the department head), Cuddy sat in front of the computer waiting for the results to come back. While she knew she could have done the same thing with any garden-variety over the counter pregnancy test, she wanted more definitive proof.

_Come on! Come on!_

Then the computer hummed and the results flashed across the screen. The printer spat out a copy at her.

A positive result—she was pregnant.

She rolled her eyes, knowing what Hell this was going to cause. On the one hand, she'd wanted a baby and (even if she didn't want to admit it) loved House. On the other hand, if she went through with the pregnancy, she knew the Board would have a field day.

_House will be fired. Hell, because of that stupid morality clause, I'll be fired. _She rubbed her forehead. She grimaced, thinking back to that night in the hotel room after their run in with the sheriff. "We both needed it. Lisa, why didn't you get a condom on him? WHY?" She shook her head. "I can't hide this. He needs to know before the Board drags us in."

She slid the report into a folder and walked out with it under her arm toward the elevator.


	3. A Proposal

Chapter 3 House's Suite

Chapter 3 House's Suite

Even as Cuddy discovered the fly in the hospital's ointment, House scribbled away on his whiteboard and preached to his team about their latest case. The patient exhibited unexplained twitching of the left big toe and rolling of the eyes.

"Guess this is where we rule out lupus or giamba ray?" Chase supposed, getting eye twitches from his two colleagues.

"Funny, I thought I got to make the jokes. Remind me when you're grown up enough for that," House retorted sharply.

Foreman studied the chart. "We still need to run some more neurological tests. Maybe an MRI and a lumbar puncture?"

"The MRI's a good idea. Do that. Leave the voodoo stuff to the professionals though," the Diagnostician indicated sarcastically. "Get blood cultures too. We need clues, People! When you find out, Daddy's giving gold stars."

The three fellows left quickly, wanting to get these tests done and help the patient.

"Foreman's recommending lumbar punctures? What next?" House supposed sarcastically.

"You really want to know?" Cuddy asked from the door.

He straightened himself up at the sight of his boss/secret girlfriend. While they had kept up the "hate-hate" act, the need to pretend in private was long over. He saw the heaviness in her eyes and how her shoulders sagged.

Something really bad—Hell, catastrophic, had disrupted her world. Big time disrupted her world.

"Let me guess….bad budget day? The Clinic's needed to be shut down? I told you that place was a buzz kill…." He limped toward the coffee maker.

"House! This isn't funny! All right?" she snapped; her eyes watering. She felt another wave of queasiness and abdominal pain cutting through her middle. She forced herself to sit down before she fell to the floor.

"Wow! Either you're into mambo sympathy mode or you're really sick," he supposed. "Your tummy's hurting, you're hormonal and…." Despite the usual sardonic wit, he was getting worried. Despite her grandstanding, she wouldn't just come up here to break down in his arms. Not where people might see through the glass.

"Check the file," she told him.

"…and blunt too. Whoa! Get Wilson on this one!"

"HOUSE! CHECK THE DAMN FILE! OKAY?" she bellowed.

He jerked his head back at her sudden reaction. "I already said blunt. Dial it down already." He looked at the file and his eyes went wide. "Damn."

"I did the tests in the lab myself—twice," she confirmed. "House, what are we going to do?"

"Seems like we've already done it," he replied, trying to take the edge off.

"Don't you get it? We're screwed!" she protested. "The Board's wanted your ass since Day 1! They don't like how I protect you! When they hear about this, they'll…"

"They'll can my ass. Wilson will try to save me but he won't get the votes. Yeah I got it, Boss," he assumed.

"And then they'll fire me." She sighed. "There goes my career."

"Well you'll be Mommy Cuddy. That's a career in itself," he declared while pacing the room. He nervously popped a handful of Vicodin. "And you're stuck with me too."

"House, this isn't a joke,"

He slammed his cane against the whiteboard, knocking it over. "DID I SAY IT WAS?" He glared at her. "Look, you're a pain in the ass as a boss and a doctor but…." He brooded over it. "I did this."

"House, it was consensual. We should've used protection," she countered.

"Love how those creeps drove us to the point. Bet Sandoval's laughing his ass off," he presumed. "Besides you need me."

"Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.

"You like having me around. Besides I'm not dumping Junior off on you. You'll only screw him or her up. Make them weak," he insisted.

"As if you'd have anything to say? You don't even have anything for me later this week," she groused.

He frowned, knowing that he really should just tell her to split at that point. Hell, he could get some other job and send the child support to her. She'd take that but he couldn't.

She made him vulnerable. She needed him but wouldn't admit it.

Worse, he needed her although he really didn't want to admit it either.

"You want something? Fine! Let's give the Board something that'll really send their knickers in a twist!" He pondered the plan brewing in his head with satisfaction. Yeah, it would trap him too. But Hell, life would be…well…_boring and dull _without her.

She arched an eyebrow. His pronouncement cut straight through the hormonal haze she was suffering. "What are you getting at?"

He didn't answer. He turned his back to the window and gazed out on the mid-February cloudy gray sky outside.

"House? You're up to something," she realized. "Why do I know I'm really going to hate it?"

"Maybe because I never thought I'd do it either," he finally answered. "Marry me, Cuddy."

_That _made her slump back in her chair before she started laughing.

"Did I say something funny?" he asked with his usual sarcastic edge.

She looked into his deep blue pools and couldn't believe it. He was being serious! "You really mean it? You…want…?" She hesitated. "Now I know I'm out of my mind."

"I'm damn serious. Just don't make any attempts on Steve's life and I'm still into the monster trucks. I figure the thongs are going to stay around too," he insisted.

She rubbed her forehead considering the pluses and minuses of being married to him. _I'm his keeper now. Do I really want to be that way permanently? _Then she grimaced. _If not me, then who? Take the offer now before he changes his mind. _"All right. I'll do it. Yes, House, I'll marry you. The rat stays in his cage. Got it?"

"Aw! But Steve's your bestest buddy!" House shot back.

"We'll make sure he stays away from the baby. Now _won't we_?" she directed.

"Yes, Empress," he groused.

"And I get a ring," she added.

He nodded, considering the options on that one too. "I'd ask Wilson about places but since he's on the Board…"

"He's the one who told me to get tested, House. He knows already," she surmised.

He shook his head. "And Wilson will get the Board together. Wonderful. You're doing the test here makes sure that they'll know. I guess we can start making plans to move now. Can't we?"

"Just like that?" she asked incredulously.

"Well we could put Cameron in charge of our defense. She and that army of trained killer bunny rabbits could take out the Board. Imagine the possibilities then?" he supposed half seriously.

She could well imagine Cameron's reaction to the situation. Then again, she and Chase were already serious in their relationship. Still she wondered how the two doctors would deal with House leaving PPTH. "We could make the board oust us. But then we wouldn't have a chance to get hired anywhere."

"As much as I'd want to watch Rambunny at work, I'm not giving those idiots the satisfaction. Or a chance at you," he admitted. "The sex had better be damn good, Cuddy."

"Is it ever not good?" she queried.

He shrugged, getting the Glare from her. "You do have your moments."

"As long as they're _our _moments, fine." She stood up. "Thank you, House, for standing by me."

"Who else would I be able to make fun of?" he supposed, slipping back into their coded bantering.

She smirked warmly at him. "Just remember that." She kissed him before heading back toward the elevator.

He glanced around the office. He'd survived Tritter, Vogler and several other cretins seeking to take him out. Yet a night of passion did him and Cuddy both in. "Yeah well, it was fun while it lasted, methinks."


	4. Friendship on the Rocks

Chapter 4 That night—House's Apartment

Chapter 4 That night—House's Apartment

After orchestrating a rather cool solution to the latest case involving cyclo-triacin (and watching Foreman lose yet another Clinic bet to him), House gazed out the window watching the rain cascading down the glass, blurring the view of the outside world.

Yet it was an apt metaphor for what was going on between him and Cuddy at the moment.

While nothing had happened yet concerning the Board, he knew it was a matter of time. Wilson wasn't going to let it sit nor would any other member of the Damned Body. He mulled over the options in his mind. He'd bought her engagement ring that afternoon and would give it to her the next day.

Steve squeaked at him from the corner.

"She's willing to deal with you, Dude. Chill out," House retorted.

At that moment, a loud knock came from the door. "House! Open up!"

The Diagnostician rolled his eyes. _Oh here we go! _He limped to the door and opened it to find Wilson standing there with a concerned look on his face. "Brutus, I presume?"

Wilson rolled his eyes. "I'm not here to kill you, House." He walked into the apartment. "I think you've done that to yourself well enough."

"Oh goodie! Someone else besides Stacy thinks I'm a masochist! Hear that, Steve? Someone thinks we're into pain! Wonder where they got that idea?" House snapped.

"Maybe it was Cuddy's pregnancy," Wilson pointed out. "House, what were you thinking? You know she has that morality clause and she's your boss!"

House gave him the 'duh' look. "Maybe it was just the mutual comfort thing? You think?"

"Knowing you two, I'd believe there's swampland for sale upstate first," the visitor discounted. "What possessed you to do that?"

"What possesses you, O' Notable Nymphologist? I mean you'll hit on anything female," House presumed snarkily while pouring himself a Bourbon. "I just happen to like subverting authority."

"Yes well, you've done that really well this time." Wilson pulled a long white envelope out of his coat. "Cuddy got a phone call from Peters an hour ago. I asked to be the one to give you the news."

"The dreaded summons of doom, I see?" House presumed while accepting the envelope. "What's next? Maybe you'll invite Tritter to watch?"

"House, this is serious! You and Cuddy are going to be fired tomorrow! Will you pay attention? Maybe you might want to call Stacy?"

"You called her on this?" House scoffed incredulously. "Of course you did! Really brilliant there, Jimmy Boy. She'll really want to rub it in my face."

"She's willing to drop everything to be there in the morning," Wilson pointed out.

"And what does Markie Boy think? Hmmm? Cue up Sportscenter now, Folks!" House baited. "Why do you care? You've already brought the Fat Lady in from Piscataway!"

"House, I'm still your friend! All right? This is like Paradise. You've broken the One Big Rule. Now you're getting thrown out. She's your boss!" Wilson snapped.

"My _fiancée _now, Smart Ass," House retorted low; his eyes smoldering into the other's brown pools.

"_Fiancée_?" Wilson asked.

"I proposed this afternoon. Yeah, Cuddy's a pain in the ass but I'm not going to leave her like this! So I got this." He produced the case and popped it open revealing the diamond ring. "It's got class and everything."

Wilson whistled in spite of himself. "And she accepted, I take it?"

"Oh yeah. Offered a lap dance and everything." House opened the letter and skimmed it over. "Since you paid for an hour, you might as well hear me grovel, pant and whine. Plant it." He motioned to the couch.

"Do what? House!" Wilson worried.

"Relax, Judas Boy. Nothing that drastic. Well it's _almost _that drastic," House assured him sarcastically while rolling his eyes. He dialed the phone and waited.

"Glad you called, Greg," Stacy answered.

"Whoa! Adding telepathy to the bat skills? Who'd have thunk it?" he supposed.

"It's called Caller ID. Wilson told me what happened so I was expecting your call. You and Lisa are going to have to face the Board tomorrow morning at 10. I'm willing to be there," Stacy offered.

"Whoa! Does that count as our consultation or what?" he retorted.

"Hate to tell you, Greg, but the world doesn't revolve around you! My husband's not happy about this. I don't really get off on seeing you. But I'm not going to let Lisa go down without some support!" Stacy lectured.

"Relax. Neither am I," he agreed while looking at the ring. "I just told Wilson so I might as well let you know too, Counselor."

Stacy felt an icy chill stabbing up her back. "Told Wilson what? What have you done now?"

"I proposed to her."

"Yeah right. You?"

"I am capable of that. You might remember that. Now you and Cuddy are sisters of the ya ya traveling pants or whatever that is," House informed her. "Go ahead. Tell me I screwed up."

"Actually, Greg, you did the right thing _for once_. It might save her ass. Yours on the other hand…." She rubbed her chin. "The Board still wants your ass I'd imagine." She paused again. "How much do you love her?"

"Oh gee. Now you want to know all the dirt, right? Hey, that's husband-wife privilege. You know the stuff you walked away from?" he asked deliberately cutting her.

Still Stacy knew the tone and the words in his voice. In them, she had her answer. "Would you be willing to give up your place to save hers?"

"Yeah why not? She gets off on being the Evil Empress, right? Maybe she can get me a dog catcher post or something? Hell, I'm sure you'd want me as your slave—I mean assistant. That way you'd get to push me around and everything," he supposed.

"As tempting as that sounds, no, Greg, I don't want you as my assistant. No cable in the office," she retorted trying to manage a bit of mirth.

"I'll give my resignation to Wilson right now." He frowned, hating that he couldn't fight the crap. But he wasn't going to let Cuddy get caught in the crossfire. "Then I'm heading over to Cuddy's. See you tomorrow. And, Stacy?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks. I mean that," he expressed with great effort before hanging up. Then he headed over to the computer and began typing.

"House! What are you doing?" Wilson asked.

"Relax, Jimmy Boy, I'm making it way easy for you and your buddies." House typed up a brief letter and hit 'print'. Looking it over on the parchment paper, he shook his head. "There it is. Hope it looks good enough for you all." He set it on the table hard.

"House, I…." Wilson looked at the letter mournfully. "I don't enjoy this! Okay?"

"It doesn't really matter, does it? I guess Nithers in Gynecology can have that party now," House supposed while throwing on his coat. "Hate to do this but you Judases aren't allowed alone in the private sanctum."

Wilson sighed, realizing that their friendship had hit the rocks for good. "House."

"JUST GO ALREADY!"

"Fine. I'll give this to the Board in the morning. Tell Cuddy I don't enjoy this," Wilson informed him before leaving.

"He doesn't enjoy this? Yeah right." After making sure Steve was okay, House took off through the rain on his motorcycle heading for West Princeton.


	5. Talk at Cuddy's

Chapter 5 West Princeton—Cuddy's House

Chapter 5 West Princeton—Cuddy's House

Even as House debated with Wilson and Stacy, Cuddy sat in her front room, looking out into the rain. She couldn't believe that the machinery had already rolled into place. "I should know better. I really should have." She sipped on the cold coffee sitting on the end table next to herself. "Life's a bitch."

She heard the phone ring.

"Oh now what?" she asked while answering it. "Hello?"

"Hi, Lisa. It's Patty DeAnda from Orchard Cove. How's it going?" Patty asked.

"Okay. I'm just really busy here at the hospital. What can I do for you, Patty?" Cuddy queried.

"Sorry. I just wanted to know if you got the music box," Patty replied.

"Oh…right. Sorry. Greg and I were looking at it the other day. I should've let you know," Cuddy apologized.

"Lisa, what is it? I know it's rude to pry but…."

Cuddy frowned, knowing that she really didn't know Patty or any of the Orchard Cove people that well anymore…as if she ever did. Still she really didn't know who else to talk to. "You want the good news or the bad news first?"

"I don't like the sound of this. Why don't you give me the good news first?" Patty replied.

"Well, I'm pregnant. Greg proposed to me. I accepted," Cuddy informed her.

"Lisa! That's great! Congratulations! You two are so great together! What's wrong though?" Patty expressed.

Cuddy took a deep breath. "Our relationship violates our contracts. I'm his boss, Patty. Worse, there's a morality clause in my contract. House isn't exactly the most popular with the board members." She hesitated. "There's a real chance we could both be fired tomorrow morning."

"Geez, Lisa." Patty hesitated for a second. "What will you do?"

"Marry Greg for one thing and have this baby. After that, we'll have to job hunt. I'll have to sell the house and figure out what to do next though," Cuddy theorized.

"Come home, Lisa."

"Excuse me? I am home."

"You and Greg have friends here. Maybe get away for a little while? Besides, there's the new hospital in Cold Harbor. They're going to need good doctors. Just come back for a visit and take a look around. Talk to Greg. Martin Reeves at the hotel will offer you a room as long as you both want it. Just consider it. Call me if you want tomorrow night," Patty concluded.

"Thanks, Patty. I appreciate it. Talk to you tomorrow," Cuddy concluded before hanging up. "Wow. Whoever would've thought that?" She got up and walked over to the body length mirror. She looked down at her stomach. Not surprising to her, she didn't regret possibly giving up her career for the baby. "Do we really want to go back to the UP for good?" She glanced out her window to see House's headlight turning into her driveway. She walked out into the garage and pressed the button raising the door so he could pull his bike under cover.

"Whoa! Curb side service and everything! If I'd known it could be like this, I'd have screwed us sooner," he gibed.

"Very funny, House. Come in before you freeze," she told him firmly.

"Yes, Empress," he conceded before following her inside. "I'll even take my shoes off like a good boy and everything."

"Thanks for that at least," she expressed as she pressed the button again, closing the door. "I was going to put some fresh coffee on. Did Wilson talk to you?"

"Yeah…He gave me this." He set the letter down on her counter. "Looks like the headsmen cometh. Wanna get your hair styled? Maybe a new bra or thong? I hear Tritter and Vogler have got front row seats."

"The Board called me earlier. I don't know what we're going to do, House! We're dead!"

"I am. Maybe not you," he indicated. "I gave Wilson my resignation."

"You _what_? House! You can't just cave! That's not like you!" she protested.

"I have bigger things to worry about than a bunch of bloated assholes! All right? You get off on being the Evil Empress! Fine! I quit. Stacy agrees that it might be enough to save your ass," he explained.

"Save my….? When did you talk to her?" She turned red. "Damn it, House! Why didn't you talk to me first before you did this?"

"Because you'd get the hyena face like you are now," he pointed out. "I left you out of it to protect you." He hesitated for a second. "Did I just say that? Man, this love stuff's rotting my brain."

"You bet it is!" She picked up the phone and held the receiver out. "You're calling Wilson and rescinding that resignation. I'm still your boss and I'm ordering you to do it."

"Ooh! Big Boss is ordering. My, my…ain't this touching?" He paced about her.

"Damn it, House! It isn't funny! This is your career!"

"I know that. But hey, I get my Empress first. Hold your hand out."

"House, stop that! I'm making a point," she argued.

"And so am I. Hold your hand out," he countered. When she did so, he took the case out of his pocket and slid the ring on her ring finger. "All nice and official. Sorry. Flower shops were all closed and stuff."

She considered the diamond and gold sparkling in the soft lighting. Then she looked into his blue eyes. For years, she'd known his feelings despite his asinine manner. Yet there it was right in front of her.

He was sacrificing himself.

For her.

And he wasn't thinking twice or hesitating.

"Fine. Since you're set on this, I guess we call Stacy. We deal with this tomorrow. Then you and I are leaving for the weekend," she told him.

"Leaving for the….? What? Huh?" he asked incredulously.

"I just got off of the phone with Patty DeAnda. We're heading back to Orchard Cove."

"Yeah right. Now I know that you're whacked by this crap," he shot back.

"What's the matter, House? Afraid I'll kick your ass on the ice this time? We both need some time away from here before we do something really stupid. It's just a weekend. Struthers and Sandoval are out of the picture. What's to worry about?" she challenged.

"Oh yeah. Kind of like the mess we're in now. You're right, Cuddy. It's not really a big deal. Hey, maybe I'll be your hot boy handyman," he replied flippantly.

"I always did wear the pants of the family," she cracked while dialing the phone. "Hi, Stacy?"

"Lisa! Are you okay? I spoke to House about forty five minutes ago. Have you heard from him?" Stacy replied.

"I'm hanging in there. House is right here. He and I have been having an argument about things. Did you know about the resignation?" Cuddy told her. "How could you tell him to do that without speaking to me first?"

"House was actually thinking of you first. Call it a weak moment. I figured we could save your position."

"Stacy, the morality clause insures my firing! Come on! I can't let House go down! You know as well as I do that he'll never get another job!" Cuddy protested.

"Morality clause?" Stacy winced, recalling that detail. "Damn it. I forgot about that stupid thing. What time can we meet at your office in the morning?"

"How's 8:30? I really need to get some sleep. Plus I need to digest having the ring," Cuddy noted.

"Make sure you wear it tomorrow. We can play up the commitment stuff. Maybe even play it into a strategy. I'll see you both in the morning. Thanks," Stacy concluded before hanging up.

He considered the frown on Cuddy's face. "Wow. That session went really well, Mom. I'd rate it at a star and a half."

"Wait until we face the Board. That'll be a really page turner," she retorted. "I wish we could've talked before you resigned."

"Hey. I need to make my own decisions. Part of being a big grown up," he sassed.

"Married grown ups communicate. We also have the kid to think about," she reminded him. "I really could …use a hug. You mind?"

"No." He embraced her. "As long as there's some us time attached. I need my attention, Mommy."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. I think I can let you hanging out with the 'twins' for a while. Let's head upstairs." With that, she took him by the hand and led him toward the bedroom.


	6. DDay

Chapter 6 Next Morning

Chapter 6 Next Morning

House's Suite

After a very romantic and cuddle-filled evening followed by a very short meeting with the ex, House began packing his books and do-dads. _Funny how these things pile up. _

"House, what's going on?" Chase inquired as he and Cameron entered the area. "We've got the Mullins case."

"Correction, _you _have the Mullins case," the Diagnostician clarified. "My ass is browning right now in the Board's frying pan."

"What did you do?" Cameron queried in disbelief.

"Actually it's what Cuddy and I did. We were busted," House admitted. "I knew I shouldn't have let you two use the broom closet. My first act as an engaged man: clearing out the office. Call it a blow for freedom! Fight the Power!"

"Engaged? When did this happen?" she pushed.

"Yesterday afternoon. Wow, I always knew Clinic duty kept you from the bigger things. Chase, you'd better keep on her about this stuff," House baited.

"Hey. We'll have to be more careful ourselves," Chase retorted.

"Yeah well, keep it to yourselves. Now do your rounds or whatever. I need to get this crap outta here before the witch hunt comes looking for me," House groused.

"Just keep your head down, all right?" she requested before she and her boyfriend took off.

_Keep my head down? Now that's a good one! _House smirked as he went back to packing and thinking of potential booby traps to lay in his wake.

Meeting Room—Two floors below

Even as House 'said goodbye' to the Ducklings, Cuddy and Stacy sat before the other board members. The two women had fielded questions concerning the nature of House and Cuddy's relationship.

Stacy had stressed that the couple were legit and honorable. She argued that the engagement invalidated any argument to fire Cuddy on immorality grounds.

Then Cuddy stood up. "Sorry, Stacy, I have something to say."

"You…do?" The lawyer's eyes narrowed.

Cuddy nodded. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board, I love my job. It's been a privilege to work with all of you…."

"Lisa, don't!" Stacy hissed.

"…but if House goes then I go too."

"Is that the way you really feel, Dr. Cuddy?" Melkers from Cardiology asked.

Cuddy nodded.

Everyone around the table had different reactions but they all nodded toward Melkers.

"Then it's settled. Thank you for your service, Dr. Cuddy, but you are terminated as of the end of the day," Melkers indicated.

"That was brilliant," Stacy muttered as they both got up.

"I had to make a stand. I'm sorry but I won't let House go down by himself," Cuddy insisted as she packed up some things into her valise. "Let's get out of here."

"Lisa! Wait a minute!" Stacy insisted.

"The decision's final, Stacy. Sorry," Wilson indicated.

"Yeah me too. Thanks for pushing Lisa into that corner, Wilson. I appreciate it. Thank you for wasting her time and mine," Stacy shot back before leaving the room.

Wilson exchanged looks with the other board members before leaving himself. He figured the Clinic wasn't such a bad place to be at that point.

Elevator outside

Stacy rushed after her client/friend. "Lisa! LISA! Damn it!"

"Yes?" Cuddy asked as she pressed the up button.

"What did you just do? For your information, I was trying to save your job in there!" Stacy insisted.

Cuddy nodded. "I know. I'm sorry I didn't let you know first." She held up the ringed hand. "I realized though that there are some things that are more important than my career. House and our baby for starters."

"I wish you had told me that before we went in there," Stacy lamented while rubbing her forehead.

"I didn't realize it. Well it's done now. House and I have packing to do. Then we're leaving for the weekend," Cuddy indicated. "Ice fishing and some thinking."

"When you get back, we need to talk. Call me," Stacy stressed.

"I will. Thanks, Stacy, for being here. I do appreciate it," Cuddy expressed before getting on the elevator toward her office.

_Terrific. Well I hope the hospital's happy. Greg's a pain in the ass but they aren't going to find another like him! _Stacy headed for the other elevator so as to head back down to ground level.

Cuddy's Suite

Bored with the book packing, House limped down to Cuddy's suite and ambled into the lobby. There Geraldine glared at him. "And your problem is?"

"_Dr. Cuddy _is still in a Board meeting. Please take a seat," the assistant indicated pointedly.

"Ooh! Is that so? Well, sorry to be a bother. As if _I care_?" he sniped back. "Some of us have bigger issues to worry about."

"Like getting Dr. Cuddy fired?" she supposed under her breath.

"Maybe getting you to shut up?" he retorted sarcastically.

Cuddy came through the outer doors at that moment. "House, what are you doing here?"

"I figured it was getting dull with the packing and Ms. Manners here was so entertaining, I figured I'd give it a shot," he reported.

"You missed the main show. We're both done," Cuddy informed him. "Are you set upstairs?"

"I need a couple of more hours. Why? You need a hand in there? Maybe we can guilt Wilson into helping?" he supposed.

"Maybe. I'll start in here. You finish upstairs and then come down here," Cuddy instructed before kissing him on the cheek.

House smirked at the officious assistant before limping back out again.

Geraldine couldn't believe it. _What is going on?_


	7. Carmelina's

Chapter 7 Carmelina's—That Evening

Chapter 7 Carmelina's—That Evening

After the couple had finished with the rituals of leaving, they dumped their things back at her house before heading for dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant in downtown Princeton.

"Wish I could've seen the look on Stacy's face. That would've been _so _worth it!" House gibed in between bites of calamari.

"Oh yeah. Stabbing someone in the back while they're trying to save your ass. That's a real page turner, House," Cuddy retorted. "She was trying."

"Trying to grandstand, you mean."

She glared at him pointedly. "Look, I know you don't trust her. She was trying to help us. It's just that I have something more to believe in than just my career. All right?"

He nodded absently while taking another bite. He wanted to believe in what she was saying. Really he did. He loved her. He felt a bond through that baby developing inside of her.

But he felt the disappointment gnawing inside of himself. He felt that coupled with the jealousy, resentment and hatred toward those who'd cast them out.

Toward his _ex-fiancée _among others who'd he been forced to crawl to.

He popped several Vicodin pills and chased them with water. "Right."

She frowned, knowing full well about the storm churning inside of him. "I believe in us. I believe in _you._" She took his hands in hers. "I know Stacy hurt you. I know you're hurting over what happened today. But they can have their stupid hospital and regulations."

He looked at her in surprise. "The Evil Empress calling a hospital and regulations stupid? Whoa! Stop the presses!"

"That shock you, House?" She cast her eyes down to the table. "It does me."

He put his hand under her chin and raised it so that they were looking each other in the eye. "I think it's sexy and cool." He smirked. "I've finally gotten to you."

She laughed incredulously. "You can say that." She let the ring glisten in the candlelight. "Must be the hormones and morning sickness."

"Yeah those things. Maybe it's the finding jobs thing that's got your knickers in a twist," he suggested wryly. "I can't believe you're considering that deal up in the UP. You know how close that is to my Dad?"

"Maybe he'll stay away?" she hoped.

"I doubt it." He considered a forkful of salad before snickering. "He'll just take the opportunity to lord it over me. 'I knew you were a failure, Boy. Now look at you. No job and you're going to have a kid too. Love the drug habit.' Ooh yeah! Father of the Year material there for both of us."

"House."

"Reject that's me."

"House! Look at me."

"Yeah what?" He was going to keep saying something but her kiss stopped him cold.

"You aren't a reject or a failure. We have jobs. I'll have to take a demotion down to department chair but we'll get those positions. You're going to be a great father. I believe in you." She looked him in the eye this time. "Maybe that should be enough for you." She hesitated for a second before continuing, "We start over. Life's a journey but that doesn't mean we can't go home."

"Ooh right. Wonder what those brainiacs in Cold Harbor'll think of us? Intimidating group, that one," he deadpanned.

"Maybe but it might be our only shot at least for now. I think we should take what's being offered to us. They're trying to mend fences. I think we should give it a try. We can always leave if you can't deal with it," she told him.

He nodded, knowing that she was right. Besides he knew nobody else would hire him especially with his latest gold star on the vita sheet. "Fine." He took a big gulp from his wine glass. "Here's to going back." Seeing Chase and Cameron approaching, he rolled his eyes. "Oh joy."

"Chase? Cameron? What's going on?" Cuddy wondered.

The younger couple exchanged glances before Cameron jumped in, "This morning was really hurried and we didn't get a chance to say good bye before you took off. We just wanted to wish you both luck with the new jobs and the baby."

"You'll be great up there," Chase offered.

"Thanks, you two. We appreciate it," Cuddy expressed.

"Bet you're going to love your new department head. Probably Foreman knowing how the hospital's working," House surmised.

"Let's hope not," Cameron disagreed.

"Politics'll say different. Either him or Judas…er…I mean Wilson," House reminded them.

Cuddy made a mental note to speak to him later about Wilson's role in the day's proceedings later. "Wilson has his own department to worry about. Just try to get along with Foreman, all right?"

"We'll remain professional," Cameron agreed.

"Oh yeah. Until the first bunny rabbit's in the line of fire. Then you'll jump out of line, Cameron," House scoffed.

"She's backed you. So have I. What's the big deal?" Chase asked.

"Yeah. Vogler must've taught you something, didn't he?" House noted sarcastically.

"He's right, House," Cuddy indicated. "Just play nice, okay?" She turned back to the others. "Thanks for coming by and for the well wishes. Take care, both of you."

"And you too," Cameron expressed before exchanging wistful looks with House and then taking off.

"The minions are angling for new jobs," House presumed.

"House, not everyone has an agenda. They're trying to be nice. Can't you take _anything _at face value?" Cuddy pointed out.

"Maybe. How about we take the cheesecake at face value? Since we don't have to worry about your figure anymore, who cares?" he asked, trying to make a joke.

She smiled at the effort. _Who cares indeed?_


	8. Back in the OC and memories

Chapter 8 Two nights later

Chapter 8 Two nights later

Marquette, MI Airport

House limped out of the bathroom while wondering (for the 10,000th time) how the Hell he'd let Cuddy talk him into this trip. _She thinks we'll be able to live up here? Yeah right! _He saw her sitting on a bench and waiting for him. "Get used to the cold yet?"

"It isn't that much worse than Jersey. Deal with it," she retorted, not giving him an inch. "Besides Patty's waiting for us."

"The strong arm committee. Wonder if they called Dad in too?" he inquired sarcastically.

"I told her not to," she assured him. "Let's try to have some fun this weekend. I'm glad not to have a budget in front of me for once. Besides…." She grinned. "…you owe me for the last time."

"I owe you?" He snorted. "Right. It isn't my fault you can't make s 'mores straight."

"This time, House, I'll be ready. I'm taking my title back," she asserted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. You're pissed that I escaped Clinic duty for the last month and a half," he retorted.

"A bet's a bet. I'm good for them," she insisted before seeing their friend waiting for them on the other side of security. "There she is." She waved.

"Oh goodie!" he deadpanned.

She elbowed him in the side. "Behave."

He rolled his eyes but did so.

"Hi, Patty! Thanks for driving up to get us!" Cuddy greeted as she embraced her former classmate.

"No trouble at all, Lisa! It's great to see you both again. I'm sorry about what happened," Patty indicated.

"Politics and all of that stuff," he discounted.

"Still, it's a shame that you'd have to lose your jobs over it," Patty continued while glancing at Cuddy's new ring and then back at him. "At least you're standing by her, Greg. I knew you two had something special."

"Yeah well, she'd hunt me down if I didn't," he jabbed albeit seriously.

Cuddy chuckled. "That's the truth. We're going to be a family now. I just hope the world can stand it."

Patty smiled warmly. Underneath their banter, she detected the same shared warmth she'd felt on their previous trip. "Enough of that for now, guys. This weekend, you're just going to have fun…Well other than one morning, that is."

"One morning?" Cuddy asked.

_Here we go, _he realized to himself.

Patty shrugged and offered a guilty smirk. "When you said you were coming, I called Cold Harbor Hospital. They insisted I bring you both up for interviews and a tour."

"Hey, Lisa, don't look now but that's the welcome wagon, right?" he queried, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Shucks! Too bad I didn't bring my suit!"

"You didn't. I did," Cuddy clarified with the gotcha smile.

"Yeah. Sorry I missed that," he apologized half-cynically while trying not to roll his eyes.

"We'll be glad to tour the facility and talk with them," Cuddy accepted. "Meantime we need to get to baggage claim."

"Follow me. We'll get dinner on the way back to the OC," Patty agreed as she led them down the hall.

He felt his leg getting sore again. To combat it, he shoved several more Vicodin down the hatch. _Now they're calling it the OC? Yeah don't they wish! _He limped after them.

Edwards Inn—Orchard Cove—Later that night

To their credit, Patty, her husband and the rest of the town chipped in on a wonderful surprise dinner for House and Cuddy thoroughly shocking the two guests of honor in the process. Everyone enjoyed the festivities, using the opportunity to catch up and even stage a mini-reunion to make up for the aborted one from two months earlier.

The new sheriff officially "lifted the ban" so to speak, apologizing for Struthers' actions.

While he kept a straight face for Cuddy's sake, House wasn't comfortable with the affair. He knew that this was all part of some hidden agenda to get them to move back there. Admittedly, he was already missing his soaps and the equipment at PPTH. He was going into 'puzzle withdrawal'. He needed a case or something.

Maybe this tour would be a good thing…..

Later in the room, he couldn't sleep. He lay on his back staring at the ceiling and counting the tiles over and over again. He glanced over at her. _Glad she could sleep through a freight train going by! Must be nice! _

The memories were stirring, bugging him again. They swept him in their wake. Back in time once more.

Back to his past…..

Cold Harbor Hospital—February 1984

House sat in the cold hospital room, waiting for the doctors to finish looking at his uncle. _Why him? Why now? _He rolled his eyes. He knew the older man had issues with tremors and seizures but that the latter took meds for them.

Everything had been under control just hours earlier when they were fishing along the lake. They were pulling everything up in sight from the water, racking up quite the killer count.

Then the elder man's eyes rolled back into his head. He grabbed his chest and collapsed to the dock.

Now all he could do was wait for the word to come back. He saw doctors running in and out of the room frantically; their facial expressions indicating that they had no idea what was going on.

"Keep an eye on him," a familiar and unwelcome voice commanded in passing.

House looked up to see his father marching down the hall toward his brother's room.

_Just what we need! _The teenager winced in pain.

"Greg, it's okay," his mother assured him. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why's he in there? This figures!" House retorted.

At that moment, his father snapped, "What'd you do now, Boy? What the Hell did you do?" He backhanded his son across the face.

"What did I…?" He scrunched his eyes defiantly at his father. "It's his _stupid _condition, Dad! I was just fishing! I got 911 as fast as I could!"

"Don't call it STUPID!" Jeff House growled while hitting him again.

"Jeff, stop! Greg didn't mean it like that. Quit hitting him," his wife tried to intercede.

But another fist crashed into his face and all went black.

Modern Day

"House! HOUSE!" Cuddy shook him hard to wake him up.

He sat up suddenly; his eyes wide open. "Don't hit me again!"

"Nobody's hitting you! It's a nightmare." She embraced him tightly, holding him against herself. "It's okay. You're with me in the hotel room."

Within a minute, he had his bearings again. "Wow."

"Want to talk about it?" She had gotten up and put on her robe.

"Just my uncle and old stuff. Welcome back to the old town, ya know?" he supposed while heading for the bathroom. He stood in there, looking in the mirror at his reflection.

As with the last trip, he saw the traumatized teenager staring back at him.

_Great. This crap again! _He poured several more Vicodin into his hand and dry swallowed them. _How am I going to deal with that damn hole if I can't deal with the memories? Cuddy needs this job. Hell, I need this stupid job. _

"It's your father, isn't it?" she supposed.

"Ooh now we're getting back into the Susie Freud routine. Really clever there, Cuddy," he snarked.

She stepped right into his path and shook her head. "Now I know something's wrong."

"And clairvoyant too? Wow. Save that one for the interview tomorrow. You'll be the hot shot administrator again in no time," he continued.

"Your father isn't there, House. We can stay away from him. It's okay," she assured him.

"Whatever. I need coffee. I won't sleep now," he declared tersely.

She rolled her eyes. _Neither of us will now! What happened? And why do I get the feeling that this trip tomorrow is going to blow up in our faces?_


	9. The Tour and a Surprise

Chapter 9 Cold Harbor Hospital—About 9 AM the next morning

Chapter 9 Cold Harbor Hospital—About 9 AM the next morning

After arranging donuts and coffee for her guests, Patty drove them up to the neighboring town's hospital. During the trip, she sensed that something else was brewing along the lines of the whole Sandoval mess. However she also inherently knew that if House had a problem, she should just let him deal with it.

When she pulled up in front of the facility, she told them, "Well here we are."

_Yeah. Like I ever wanted to come back here again_, House mused to himself.

"We'll see you back here about 4:00. Dinner's on us tonight," Cuddy indicated.

"I'll think on our options. I appreciate it, Lisa. Let's hope it's a celebration dinner. Good luck in there," the driver agreed as the passengers got out. With a honk of the horn, she took off.

Cuddy looked anxiously at House. "Are you going to be all right in there?"

"Yeah. Hey it was a long time ago. Those losers are long gone," he dismissed.

"House, you don't need to play games with me. Remember, your feelings are important to me too," she admonished while giving his hand a supportive squeeze.

"I don't want you going into Empress withdrawal or anything," he retorted. "Meantime I wonder what the townies are putting on the menu? Something good and corny."

"Humble pie," she cracked.

"Already setting the mood? Wow. I didn't think we interviewees did any of that _awful _stuff."

"Keeping you in check merits an exception," she told him.

"Administrative loophole. Ah. Careful, Cuddy, you're not the Empress here."

"I'll try and keep that in mind," she responded dryly as they entered the facility. Other than a few doctors walking across the floor, it seemed pretty quiet.

"Wow. They definitely need you to stir things up," he presumed.

"Maybe we might want to get through the interview first?" she reminded him.

A slender elderly man in a grey suit approached them. "Drs. House and Cuddy, right? I'm Kevin Peters, the hospital administrator. Welcome to Cold Harbor."

"Thank you. It's a pleasure to be back here," she replied while shaking his hand.

"Likewise," House chimed in while shaking the other's hand.

"That's right. You both are originally from the area, aren't you?" Peters realized. "Ms. DeAnda mentioned that." He scratched his head. "All the better. Well the agenda's not that complicated. I'm going to give you a tour. Then we'll meet with some of the doctors for a question and answer session. I figure we'll eat lunch about 12. Then we'll make things official after that."

"Sounds swell," House declared.

"Then shall we?" Peters proposed while starting the tour.

An hour later—ICU

Peters orchestrated the tour so as to hit every possible highpoint that the regional hospital facility could offer the two physicians. The conference room could videolink to any place in the country if not the world. The labs and Clinic offered the best service outside of Marquette and were still among the top five facilities in the state. Each physician had his or her own office.

And they were prepared to offer House a team like the one he had at PPTH.

Admittedly, the Diagnostician was intrigued. If he could score the right kind of autonomy, a small sleepy place like this one could be a decent fit. "What's the arrangement with NMU or Michigan?"

"We have cooperative arrangements with both of course. Why?" Peters responded.

"Just curious," he responded.

"What Dr. House is getting at, Mr. Peters, is that we both like to have the best resources possible," Cuddy clarified trying to reduce any possible threat to potential employment.

"I know. I appreciate that," Peters expressed. "Any doctor worth his or her salt would want the same. Perhaps Princeton Plainsboro might have issues with his attitudes over such things but we don't here. In fact, our regional ties have gone into our ICU. It's better than Marquette's."

The two visitors admired the bustling scene around them. They saw doctors working in harmony to treat the eight or so patients there. Equipment wheeled back and forth across the room.

"This is very impressive," Cuddy complimented.

"Thank you, Dr. Cuddy. We try. Shall we get upstairs?" Peters noted.

As they were turning to leave, the doors to the ambulance bay burst open. A group of paramedics followed by a young woman with long dark hair in scrubs rushed their patient into the area.

"Dr. Hadley? What's going on?" Peters wondered.

"Sorry, Mr. Peters. We have a patient with a mysterious stomach virus," Hadley sighed while rubbing her forehead. "I rode with the paramedics and tried all of the tests that I could think of. We'll need cultures and other tests." She ran her hands through her hair. "I wish that House guy were here. Can't we call down to the OC and find him?"

Cuddy looked at him expectantly.

"Aw crap. Here we go," House groused. "Probably a garden variety enphleghmitis. Who's the lucky contestant?"

"And you're supposed to be House?" Hadley supposed.

"Maybe or someone with his charm and devilishly good looks. Gimme the file," House responded while taking the file from her. He flipped it open and stared incredulously at it. "Yeah right. As if I'm really going to treat _him_?"

"Treat who? House, who is it?" Cuddy asked, wanting to know what was going on.

"His father," a familiar voice responded.

They all turned to find an older woman standing there in the doorway; her blue eyes also identical to the diagnostician's.

"Hello, Greg," Jane House greeted.

"Hi, Mom," House responded while rolling his eyes.

The crap was definitely about to hit the fan…..


	10. Dad's Exam

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

For a brief second, everything in the room seemed to stand still. For the others, it was Jane's revelation. For House and Cuddy, it was encountering the old situation yet again.

"There's probably a rule against treating family members anyhow," House muttered while shaking his head.

"And _when _do _you _care about rules?" Hadley queried. "From what I've heard about you, you find more loopholes than anyone! We have a patient here!"

"And I have issues here! _All right? _Like you care?" House snapped back.

"Greg, the other doctors we've been to have no idea of what's going on," his mother pointed out. She sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"Can we have a minute?" Cuddy requested while stepping aside with House and the file. After perusing it herself, she frowned. "I hate to say it but they're right. It's your type of case."

"Figures," he groused, still seeing the nightmare/flashback from the previous night in his mind's eye.

She put her hand on his arm. "I'll be right here."

"Sure. Smother me already," he griped while trying to save face. Despite that, he let his eyes sparkle at her. "Thanks," he whispered to her.

"That's what I'm here for. Administrative loopholes and all that," she retorted almost playfully to lighten the situation. "Come on; your parents are waiting." She held out the folder expectantly.

He took it and looked at it again while studying the chart. "Fine. Peters, I need two things."

"Whatever you need is fine, Dr. House," the administrator agreed while eagerly embracing the chance to see him at work.

"I get to run whatever tests I need to on the patient. And you say the video link can reach anywhere?" House supposed.

"Anywhere there's a webcam," Peters agreed.

"Goodie. I need my team. Cuddy and Hadley can help me on this end. Just another one of those loopholes she talked about," House gibed.

"I'll get that feed set up while you're doing the first tests." With that, the big boss rushed off toward the elevator.

"Wow. I've never seen him move that fast before," Hadley assessed.

"Well I'm special," House snarked back before facing his mother. "Says here that Dad's been referred to ten doctors already. How long's he been dealing with this?"

"Over two years. Greg, I tried to talk him into letting you look at him. He refuses to do so. I'm insisting now," Jane indicated.

"Just Dad being Dad. Typical stubborn…."

His mother slapped him across the face. "Don't you talk about him like that!"

He recoiled, letting his fear and anger show. "Like what, Mom? Like the last time we were here? When he knocked my brains out for Uncle Paul's death? Remember that one?"

"He was…upset. Greg, you always took that stuff too much to heart," Jane countered.

"One word, Mom: abuse. That's what it was!" He looked her in the eye. "That's why he doesn't want to see me. He won't want to admit that I know what I'm doing! That I might have an opinion that COUNTS!" He took a breath while collecting himself again. "Lucky for him that I swore that oath. Ya know? Don't do harm to Martians, doggies and little green men." Another breath. "Hey, Hadley, let's get some blood and tissue samples to the lab. Cuddy, Mom, help me hold him down."

"Hold him down?" his mother asked.

"He's going to do what we call a lumbar puncture. He wants fluid for examination," Cuddy explained.

"He's not going anywhere near me…with that needle," his father croaked.

"Patient doesn't get a vote here," House indicated darkly. "Hi, Dad. What's new?"

"Great. I get to deal with the wonder doc." He looked at Hadley. "Can't you find someone else?"

"He's the best," Hadley noted while pulling on a fresh set of gloves and producing the needle. "That good?"

"Oh yeah. Awesome! We've done it with a paper clip just like in the movies. We can do it with this too," House announced while taking out his pill bottle.

"Greg, what are you…?" Jane wondered.

"A little pick me up. Gets me through the tough patients," House assured her with a bit of sarcasm clearly in his voice as he dry swallowed a handful of Vicodin. "Yeah! That's better!"

"I've got him swabbed down," Cuddy noted.

"Just like the old days back at Princeton. Hey, Dad, take a breath. Don't want this to hurt or anything," House assessed before sticking the needle into his father's lower back.

"Fig…Damn!" Jeff complained.

"I told you to keep quiet. That's for a reason," House advised.

"What's he looking for, Dr. Cuddy?" Jane inquired with a mix of fear and curiosity.

"He's taking a fluid sample. Just procedure," Cuddy assured her while watching as her _fiancé _collected several drops of fluid into a vial. "Almost there."

At that moment, the elder House spasmed and slumped onto the gurney.

"Jeff? JEFF!" Jane cried out.

"Dammit!" House turned his father over. "His heart stopped. Paddles now!"

Hadley rushed across the room and brought the paddles back along with the charger. "Charging!"

"Cool. Hit him."

Hadley placed the paddles on the patient's chest and jolted him.

"Charging!"

"Again!" House ordered.

Hadley jolted him again.

This time, the elder man's heart started and kept going.

"Heartbeat's weak and irregular but we've got him back," Cuddy reported.

"What did you do, Greg?" Jane insisted.

"It's not me. It's whatever he has. I want him admitted and monitored closely. Meantime, I need that connection pronto." He considered his father again. "We're running out of time."


	11. Consults

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks to notlupus for the post-beta job with House's Mom! 

Twenty minutes later—House's Old Office, PPTH

Even as House, Cuddy and Hadley dealt with his father, Cameron and Chase looked over the latest case file while teasing the essential elements from it. Since House's ouster two days earlier, they'd solved two cases and performed more than their share of Clinic duty.

However, the lack of further files showed that the hospital brass would be phasing the department out.

"Guess we should be looking for other jobs?" he supposed.

"Not yet. You heard Dean Wyngate. They'll reassign us more than likely," she assured him. "Meantime I'm going to check my email."

"Careful. House had that thing bugged," he reminded her.

She rolled her eyes. "He said that when he was stoned. Like he'd really do that?" She turned the computer on and punched a couple of keys.

"Hey! Don't touch me like that! Nasty cooties!" a familiar voice begged albeit sarcastically.

Cameron stared incredulously at her boyfriend who shrugged and said, "Told you so."

"Ah! The sounds of loyalty. So cool to the ears!" House's voice announced. "Turn on the webcam, Cam. Hey. That's catchy! You can set a beat to it."

"What's going on, House? You're supposed to be on vacation or job hunting," Cameron supposed.

"What? It's illegal for the Master to check on his minions? Speaking of which, where's Foreman?" House inquired as the picture came into view.

"Former boss. You were fired, remember?" Cameron countered. "Where are you?"

"Cuddy's scoping out branch offices. Thought we'd check one out on the lake. Cool view of the town and the babes. I even found a replacement for you up here, Cameron. Hadley here goes spaz for patient's rights. Figured you two would get along groovy." House motioned toward the younger doctor who was sitting across the table from him.

As the camera went around the conference room, Chase noticed his mother. "House, that's your mother there, isn't it?"

"Yeah it is. Patient's my father. Like duh! So where's Foreman?" House asked sharply.

"Foreman got an offer with Eranger in Neurology. He jumped ship two hours after the Board meeting," Cameron noted. "Your father, huh? Since you're in Michigan, how are we going to help?"

"That figures. The charts and test results are being faxed to you as we speak. Be good little minions and look them. Daddy will have a test waiting when you're done," House continued.

"I'll check on that fax," Chase noted while heading out of the room.

"Wow! You have him trained already?" House supposed.

"Kind of the way Cuddy's training you, I'll bet."

"Yeah right. You are so naïve, Cameron. This isn't Bunny Politics," House jabbed.

"Keep thinking that. How are you holding up with your parents?" Cameron queried.

"Oh we're just peachy! Dad's already getting jollier by the minute. Planning the big wedding here! Where's Chase already?" House retorted sharply.

"I'm here," Chase announced with the paper pile under his arm. "It takes time for the fax machine to spit this out." He set the paper on the desk in front of Cameron. "Let's get to it."

"I love a man of action. Told you so," House noted, loving a bit of one-upmanship.

Cameron rolled her eyes before reading the report. "Blood work's clean. Tissue's are clean. LP's slightly cloudy." She reviewed the faxed charts. "House, have you biopsied his liver or stomach?"

"I vote for a MRI," Chase interjected. "See what's going on in his head."

Due to the fact that his mother was sitting there, House edited out the crass comment about his father's IQ which was running through his head. "That was the next move but I kind of wanted you both onboard first," he assured them. "I'll get back to you. Don't do any extended time in the Clinic or anything."

"Don't you two blow off your Clinic time for this!" Cuddy interjected.

"Relax, Cuddy. Foreman owes us a couple of hours apiece. Time for him to cover us for a change." Chase looked at the test results again. "House, what do you think about a stain test?"

"Interesting. Yeah, I like it. Study hard, you two. I'll be back," House concluded before signing off.

"And you thought we were going to be reassigned? Seems like old times again," Chase supposed.

"I'll get Foreman to do those hours. It's going to be a late night tonight," she indicated while picking up the phone.

Conference Room—CHH

"I hope they're not getting themselves into trouble over this," Cuddy worried. "Meantime, this is still a job interview for us."

"Wow. Like I forgot that? Must've been the dealing with my parents thing that's got me all distracted," House replied with the usual snarky overtone. "Meantime let's see how Dad's doing."

"Maybe there's some improvement," his mother hoped.

"Everything's going to be all right," Hadley assured her.

"Let's hope so, Dr. Hadley. Thank you for saying that. At least I know Greg…I mean Dr. House…will pull out all the stops," Blythe declared.

House shrugged silently while limping out of the room and down the hall.

"He's doing that," Cuddy agreed to her future mother-in-law as they followed House out of the room. Four rooms down the hall, they could hear House arguing with his father.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DON'T KNOW! SOME DOCTOR YOU ARE!" Jeff bellowed.

"Jeff can be…difficult," Blythe apologized sheepishly.

Hadley exchanged curious looks with Cuddy before starting to put two and two together. _He was abused and never received help. _She bit her lip for the criticism earlier.

Cuddy took off at a dead run for the room in question. She found the two men locked in a dark glaring contest. "Stop it! Both of you!"

"Tell Genius there to get an answer!" the patient snapped.

"Mr. House, that's uncalled for. Greg's only started the tests. We've been in contact with our colleagues back in New Jersey for consultation," she countered. "And I'm requesting you not talk to him like that."

"Oh now you're not his boss anymore. You're his buddy," Jeff retorted.

She put the ringed hand on the bed rail so he could see it. "_Fiancée _actually."

"Save it, Cuddy. He's not going to listen to you or anyone," House informed her tersely.

"Jeff, stop berating Greg like that! He's doing his best," Blythe told her husband. "I second what Lisa just requested." She looked to her son. "What do we do now, Greg?"

House nodded in appreciation before dry swallowing some more Vicodin. "I need to see his military records."

"Those are sealed. Fat chance," the father scoffed.

"We can unseal certain parts of them," Cuddy disagreed. "Since your medical history is all we'd want, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Since you're now a part of the family, you can't request it. Let me talk to Peters," Hadley advised. "House, you should come too. You'd know what specifically to request when we fill out the paperwork."

Glancing at his parents and Cuddy, House nodded. "Fine. Yeah, let's go. Cuddy, get that MRI and the stain test. We'll be back." He followed their colleague out of the room.

"You see, Jeff? Greg's looking in places the other doctors didn't already," Blythe noted.

The father fumed at the ceiling, not wanting to admit that his son might measure up. He coughed furiously, spitting up bloody phlegm.

"What now?" Blythe asked.

"They'd better hurry. It's hitting his lungs," Cuddy realized while glancing toward the elevator. "Let's get him downstairs."

Blythe nodded as she helped her daughter-in-law-to-be roll the patient onto the gurney and headed toward the MRI chamber. _Greg, you've picked well._


	12. Wyngate's Ultimatum

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

PPTH—Diagnostics

Cameron and Chase continued to pour over the faxed report and the additional test results from Cold Harbor. As with their counterparts in Michigan, their frustration only grew with each passing hour.

"We've tried everything! What is this?" he declared in frustration.

"Then there's something that we're missing," she told him pointedly. Hearing a knock at the door, she looked up.

A fifty-something heavy set man with grey hair walked into the suite. "Drs. Chase and Cameron, correct?"

"That's right," Chase answered while looking the man over.

"I'm Dean Wyngate. Pleased to meet you both." He frowned while shaking their hands.

"But?" she wondered.

"But there are some matters to be discussed. Do you mind if we do so now?" Wyngate informed them.

"Umm sure. We do have a case but…," she noted.

"That wouldn't happen to be the case for House would it?" the Dean asked.

"It is. Is that a problem?" she queried.

"Since House—for once—went through proper channels, it's fine this time. I would rather see you give more time to our case though," Wyngate responded.

"The patient there is dying, Dean Wyngate," she reminded him.

"And we have other patients suffering _here_," Wyngate rebutted while shaking his head. "Quite the shame really."

"What is?" She bristled.

"House would rub off on you both."

The two fellows exchanged tired looks at each other, not wanting to be the one to say what was on both of their minds.

Wyngate stood and straightened his coat. "I am closing this department immediately. And there is the new fraternization policy. No relationships among faculty or staff here are allowed." He handed them two memos apiece. "For your records."

"You can't do this!" she protested.

"I have and the Board approved it. In this case, it's either your relationship or your jobs. If you choose to leave, I'll support you however I can. If you choose to stay, you know what you'll have to do," Wyngate announced.

Cameron looked to Chase who nodded back without hesitation. "Then we resign. Bad enough you drove House and Cuddy out of here, we're not going to cave. You'll have our letters by tonight."

"I see. Dr. Chase?"

"I'm with her, Dean Wyngate," he concurred.

"Very well. Clear out your things because you're terminated effective immediately. I'll send my apologies to Cold Harbor. Let me know so I can support you in your search," Wyngate told them before leaving.

"What a bastard!" she groused.

"Great. What's House going to do? What are _we _going to do?" he wondered feeling panic.

She squeezed his hand supportively. "First we're going to talk to Wilson. Then we'll speak to House and Cuddy." She smirked wickedly.

"Now what?" he asked, knowing she had a House-level scheme of her own brewing.

"Just follow me," she instructed as they headed out of the office.

Wilson's Office

Even as Wyngate dropped the ax on Cameron and Chase, Wilson studied the specs on a particularly difficult case. _House would've stolen this case from the rest of us for the sheer challenge! _He brooded over his friends' situation, feeling his guilt over the fact he didn't do more to help them. As a Board member, he needed to stick with policy. As a friend, he might have tried to do more. _What should I have done? _He examined the new fraternization policy and shook his head.

Cuddy's words from the standoff with Vogler echoed through his head. _If you vote with this, it'll be the last free vote you'll take._

Before his self-incriminations could continue, there was a knock at the door. "It's open. Come in."

"Wilson, we had news. Thought you'd like to know," Cameron announced as she and Chase walked into the office.

"I…see." Wilson fussed with his hair. "Please take a seat. I take it this is over Wyngate's new policy?"

"We resigned because of it," Chase replied. "It was our jobs or the relationship."

"Wyngate's shutting Diagnostics down too," she added.

"Really?" Wilson rolled his eyes. "Wyngate was targeting you both. Several of us had suspected as much."

"And you went along with the policy anyhow?" she queried sharply.

"I voted against it of course. It passed 6-4 with one abstention. Let me speak to the other Board members…."

"Don't bother. It won't matter. Dealing with Vogler taught us all that," Chase admitted. "We need to focus on the case."

"Case?" Wilson asked as he accepted the folder from Cameron. "This is House's father!"

"Yeah. House is working on the case up in Cold Harbor. Since we're booted out of our offices and Wyngate yanked our privileges..." she explained.

"This is a problem. You can't work on it from home because there are no lab facilities. It'll take you at least a day to drive there. And it's too late to get a flight up there," Wilson presumed while picking up the phone and dialing House's cell.

"Sorry not taking calls from Judases now," House snapped.

"House! I'm calling about your father's case and the team! They've been cut off," Wilson informed him.

"Wyngate wouldn't move that fast. Yeah right," House doubted. "Try again, Wilson."

Cameron took the phone. "He's right, House. We were given the break up or be fired speech due to no fraternization policy. We were trying to figure out what we could do next. Any updates on your father?"

"Way to go. Couldn't you have played it out for a little while, Cameron? Do something extreme like _lie_?" House retorted sarcastically.

"The case, House. Your father," she insisted.

"Stuff's spreading to his lungs. Cuddy and Hadley are doing the MRI right now. Smear test came back negative," House reported. "Let me have Wilson back again."

"He wants to talk with you," she indicated while handing the phone back to Wilson.

"Yes?" Wilson asked.

"You can really earn some brownie points on this one. See if the lovebirds want to fly out here. Meantime you can do the consult," House proposed.

Wilson sighed, presuming that Wyngate would disapprove of any activity in that regard. Still he felt the obligation to help at least in that way. "Fine. Until Cameron and Chase get there. I'll be in touch. Hang in there, House. I'll let Cameron talk to you again."

She took the cell. "Fly out there? House, you know how much that is?"

"Planes, trains, automobiles….all that stuff. Just get out here," House concluded before hanging up.

She handed him the phone back. "So much for packing up our stuff." She looked at Chase. "We need to get out to Michigan ASAP."

"We don't have that much in the office. We can be on the road in a couple of hours if need be," he told her.

She weighed the options in her mind. "Fine. Let's grab what we can. We'll throw a suitcase apiece in the back of my car and go."

"This is a brave thing you're both doing," Wilson pointed out.

"It's House. As much as I hate to say it, we need him as much as he needs us," she retorted before shrugging.

Chase rolled his eyes behind her, not really wanting to admit that point aloud.

"Take care," Wilson expressed. "Stop by when you get back." He shook their hands.

The couple nodded at him before taking off.

_And now House's team. When is this going to stop? _Wilson mused dark thoughts at that point.


	13. The Prognosis

Chapter 13 Cold Harbor Hospital

Chapter 13 Cold Harbor Hospital

Cuddy and Hadley sat behind the protective glass as the MRI snapped pictures of the patient's head. Over the past six hours, they had seen further degeneration but still no signs of exactly what they were dealing with. Every test seemed negative or inconclusive.

Hadley glanced over at the other doctor and mused about what was unfolding around herself. When she'd asked to be included in the interview, Peters and the other senior staff thanked her but kept her back figuring someone needed to cover the Clinic. _Now I'm in the middle of it! _She felt a weird thrill about collaborating with the driven and sarcastic Diagnostician, his _fiancée _and the two members of his team.

In two years on staff at CHH, she'd never had anything like this.

Cuddy tapped her arm. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Sorry my mind drifted for a second. How are you holding up?" Hadley inquired.

"I'm doing okay. I'm more worried about House's mother. Since we're not going to be leaving anytime soon, I'm thinking of having a friend of ours take her to dinner," Cuddy reported.

"So what's he like to deal with?"

Cuddy looked at Hadley curiously. "Excuse me?"

"House. What's he like to deal with?" Hadley kept her eyes on the images but stole a slight glance at Cuddy.

Cuddy arched an eyebrow while also studying the images. "He's pretty much the way you've seen. He's been through a lot."

"I can tell. He must be Hell to manage."

Cuddy snorted. "Good luck on the management part. House does what House wants. He does care for the patients in his own way. I kept that in mind when I was Dean of Medicine back at Princeton."

"And he drives his team," Hadley noted.

"That he does do. Why? Interested in the abuse?" Cuddy probed.

"More like a chance to learn from him. Cameron and Chase seem capable enough," Hadley assessed.

"They are even if House won't admit it," Cuddy commented while seeing another image come on the screen. "Damn!"

"There are masses at the base of the skull and in the surrounding brain tissue," Hadley realized.

"Ooh nasty disease!" House added while limping back into the area. "Blood work came back clean and yet there are those little creeps partying it up. Sucks to be Dad."

"House," Cuddy sighed.

"We've got bigger problems. Wyngate's the new Dean in Princeton. He had a run in with Cameron and Chase," he started.

"I feel bad for the poor hospital. What a jerk," his _fiancée _declared.

"But wait! There's more!" he deadpanned.

"This I can't wait for," Cuddy replied dryly. "Go ahead."

He shrugged. "Wyngate implemented a big bad no-lovie policy. Then he canned Cameron and Chase. Joy! Joy!"

"WHAT?" Cuddy wheeled around in her chair. "You're serious?"

He straightened up and shot her the sarcastic look. "Gee. No, Cameron and Chase eloped and went off to the Outback to treat koalas. Of course I'm serious! They're on their way out here."

"Great! Now we can't count on them for at least a day. I hate that ass!" Cuddy groused.

"At least I guilted Wilson into helping us," he gloated.

"You what?" Hadley asked, feeling confused.

"Relax. He had it coming to him," he snapped tersely. "We'll catch you up later. Any good theories?"

"You're asking me?"

"Like duh! Yeah. You. Any theories?" he retorted.

Hadley suppressed her nerves at being put on the spot. "Given the symptoms, ephlegmigitis. It started in the stomach. Temperature, fever and sweats. It progressed to the lungs and now the masses. But given how advanced it is, we can't treat it."

He nodded clearly seeing where she was coming from. "Since I don't want you feeling left out, Cuddy, what do you think?"

"Feels so good to be counted on," Cuddy countered not giving any ground to him. She considered the diagnosis and nodded. "I agree with you, Dr. Hadley. We have to at least try some treatment."

"There is the infomycin solution," he proposed, allowing himself a satisfied grin in the process.

"House, are you crazy? It's only in the testing stage!" Hadley protested. "You know how much pain that'll put your father through. First group of FDA subjects couldn't deal with it."

"Gee. My heart's breaking. Dad's wanting me to do something. He's all he can be. Let the tough guy see how he can deal with it. His choice is simple! Pain and a chance at life with the drug or pain and death without it!" he argued.

"And you're sure your personal feelings aren't getting in the way?" Cuddy supposed. "This isn't about getting even."

"Life's a bitch, Cuddy," he replied firmly, not hiding the pain in his eyes. He swallowed four more Vicodin.

"Are you serious?" Hadley asked incredulously. "House, I agree your father's a jackass. You don't need to sink to his level."

He laughed incredulously. "He deserves it."

"Even if he does, House, remember what you said in the hallway. We swore an oath. I know you're crass. You can be a jerk toward people. But I've never seen you like this!" Cuddy protested.

"HEY!" House, Sr. yelled from the other room. "I'm not getting any younger in here!"

House pressed the talk button. "We're doing big doctor stuff. Chill, Dad. We'll be back in like two hours." He released it before leaning on the counter wrestling with his demons. He knew where his duty was.

But the hurt part of him screamed at him wanting to exact payback.

The two women looked at him not knowing what to do exactly.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, he croaked, "Get him out of there. Once we get him back to his room, start him on a half dose of the stuff. We'll see what he can do. I need to let Mom know." He headed out of the booth.

"Go and be with him. I'll deal with his father," Hadley advised Cuddy.

"Right," Cuddy agreed before following in his wake.

Chapel

Even as her son and his colleagues worked on various scenarios to treat Jeff, Blythe kneeled before the pulpit in silent prayer. She knew her husband had his issues especially where it came to their son. She had tried to intervene at times during the difficult years. Mostly though, she'd turned a blind eye to what Greg went through. It was easier that way for her.

"I keep telling you there's nothing there, Mom," House advised.

"You might try it. It might surprise you," she retorted while standing to face him. "I wish you could get beyond your pain."

"Yeah right. The world's a rotten place. You should try and face it sometime," he countered bitterly before sucking his feelings back up. "Speaking of rotten, Dad has advanced ephlegmigitis. You might want to sit down."

She nodded while sitting down. "Okay. Greg, tell me. What is this disease?"

"It's a virus that starts in the liver, works into the stomach, lungs and brain. I wish the idiots who'd treated Dad earlier had seen it….." He hesitated before rubbing his forehead.

"But…Greg, you can treat it, right?" She gripped onto his hands desperately like a drowning person grasping a rope. "Right?"

He bowed his head, not wanting to tell her the grim prognosis.

"Not with conventional medication," Cuddy added from the hallway.

"You mean there's unconventional medication?" Blythe queried. "Lisa, what is Greg not telling me?"

Cuddy sat down next to House. She rubbed his shoulder supportively. "There is an experimental medication which is in the clinical testing phase. We're starting him on a low dosage."

"Low so as to keep the pain manageable," he noted.

"Can't you put him on a regular dose?" Blythe asked.

"The pain would be really, really bad, Mom," he told her. "And we don't know for sure it'll work on a case this advanced. This'll buy us some time though until my team from Jersey can get out here."

"I see," Blythe indicated. "Then go ahead, Greg. Do it."

"Just like that?" Cuddy asked.

The elder woman shrugged. "I'm not my husband, Lisa. I know Greg's doing everything he can. He may be intolerable sometimes but he's my son. I have faith in him. Thank you for being so supportive."

"You're welcome," Cuddy expressed, keeping the earlier debate to herself. "While we're administering the treatment, there are going to be a couple of hours before any change is noticeable. Our friend, Patty DeAnda was going to take us to dinner. Why don't you get something to eat? We'll be here."

"You should," he agreed.

"I'd rather be here but you have a point. Okay, Lisa and Greg, I'll go out for an hour or two for something to eat. Promise me you'll call if anything comes up?"

"We promise. Come on," Lisa agreed as they left the chapel area and headed for the lobby.

Maybe the treatment might work. Perhaps it might not. But House had made some sort of connection with his mother at that point. And that counted for something…..


	14. Checking in with the Troops

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

PPTH—Two Hours Later

Wilson studied the latest test results faxed to him by Cuddy. As soon as he saw them, he realized, "Of course!"

Just as the inspiration hit him, the phone rang. "James Wilson."

"Hey, Wilson, make any brainstorms yet?" House wondered.

"House! It's ephlegmigitis! You can't treat it when it's that advanced," Wilson pointed out.

"There is an experimental way. We're trying that," House informed him.

"You're not considering infomycin, are you? That hasn't cleared FDA trials! It'll put your father into agony."

"Afraid there's no choice. Guess Dad's going to be in pain either way, huh?" House retorted sarcastically.

"House, you're still a doctor! It isn't your place to inflict unnecessary pain on your father no matter what he did to you. Especially now, don't do it," Wilson reminded him.

"Easy for you to say. Relax, Wilson. Cuddy and I had this debate already. We're starting him on half doses to get some effect, minimize the pain and buy time. Speaking of time, where's the dynamic duo?" House assured his friend albeit tersely.

"They're two hours down the interstate by now. Maybe you should call one of their cells?" Wilson informed him.

"Yeah but the scenery's groovy. Besides I need someone to get my slippers and coffee," House cracked before hanging up.

_I'd better call them anyhow! _Wilson frowned while dialing the phone.

Somewhere in Central Pennsylvania

After they hurriedly cleared their effects from the Diagnostics suite and threw some things in an overnight bag, Cameron and Chase had taken off down the interstate out of New Jersey and heading north by northwest toward Cold Harbor. They quickly found themselves speeding down the blacktop past Pittsburgh and Allentown. Still, their minds weren't on the scenery. Rather they pondered the future and the case at hand.

"Wonder how House's Dad is doing?" Chase asked.

"Blythe's probably ready to kill them both. That is if Cuddy doesn't do it first," she assumed while recalling the Houses' visit to PPTH.

He rolled his eyes. "Nothing ever changes, does it?"

"This is House," she reminded him.

"True. I was hoping that Cuddy would manage him a bit."

She snorted sarcastically. "Cuddy keep House on a leash? Right."

He had to admit that she had a point. Before he could reply however, his cell phone went off. "Chase."

"Chase, it's Wilson. Can you put me on speaker? This concerns both of you," Wilson noted.

"Sure." Chase pressed the side button on the phone. "We're both on with you, Wilson. What's up?"

"Great. I just heard from House. His father's got advanced ephlegmigitis. He's starting treatments of half-dose infomycin," Wilson reported.

"WHAT?" she gasped. "It isn't even tested yet! He knows the pain it can cause!"

"Cuddy and I have already reminded him of that. Yet his mother asked him to do it," Wilson told them.

"We're still thirteen hours away," she reported. "Wish we could use the facilities in Ann Arbor or someplace else closer."

"Wish you could too. I wanted to let you know what you were getting yourselves into up there. Good luck to both of you," Wilson concluded before hanging up.

Chase hung up. "I guess we just enjoy the drive then?"

She rolled her eyes. "Until House calls back, yeah. I can't believe he'd do that!"

"I can," he disagreed, recalling the tension between father and son.

She glanced over at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah sure. Why?" he inquired.

"You seem worried," she realized.

"Not having a job tends to do that," he informed her while trying to keep his tone sincere.

"We'll get something. Meantime why don't you try to take a nap? I'll need you to take over in a few hours," she assured him.

"Okay," he relented while closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

She returned her attention to the road in front of them. As she saw it coming up to meet them, she couldn't help but ponder the situation in Cold Harbor. _House, I hope you know what you're doing!_


	15. Father and Son

Chapter 15 Cold Harbor Hospital

Chapter 15 Cold Harbor Hospital

Even as Cameron pondered her thoughts, House sat in the corner of his father's hospital room, watching as the infomycin dripped from the banana bag, down the tube and into his father. Although he would never admit it, he clearly was grasping at straws. He knew the odds were against his father's recovery at that stage of the disease.

The lower doses cut their chances of saving him.

"House?" Cuddy asked low. "Any change?"

"Nah. It hasn't been long enough," he replied. He wanted to sass her just to keep a brave face but it took too much effort. Frankly he could care less for once. "I've wanted him dead for years for what he did to me. Now it doesn't matter."

"That's because you're a better man than he is," she assured him while giving him a loving squeeze around his shoulders. "I have faith in you."

He snorted. "Yeah. Just like a bad budget."

"Like _what_?" She stared at him incredulously. "It isn't just your medical skills, House! It's your heart. It's you. You're not just inflicting pain to do so. You're being a real doctor. You're healing. You're being a real man." She kissed him. "You're measuring up for once."

"For once?" he jabbed back.

"Yeah. For once. Wish we could get away for a few minutes," she expressed.

"What about Hadley? Where's she?" he griped.

"She's filling Peters in and getting something to eat. She'll be back in a couple of hours," she informed him. "She's actually doing a good job at dealing with things."

"She'd never keep up with Cameron or Chase," he admitted.

"I don't know, House. Why not give her a chance?" she proposed. "You're going to need a third member of a potential team up here."

"Careful, Cuddy. We don't have jobs. We're just the nasty visitors who have answers," he reminded her.

"Give me reason to hope, okay? We need jobs and I don't feel like doing unemployment right now," she rebutted.

"You'd be crawling the walls," he admitted.

"You two could wake the dead. Stuff it. I'm trying to sleep," Jeff House snapped weakly. "This shit's burning by the way."

"Careful, Dad. I could have the napalm here before we know it," the younger House threatened.

"You wouldn't have the stones."

"Try me." House stalked over to the bed and glared at the other man. He took a deep breath. "I have more to worry about than your stinking ass." He looked to Cuddy.

"I knew you were weak," the patient scoffed.

"I'm not the one lying on my ass or _depending on me_," House counterjabbed while sticking the knife into the other's psyche and twisting it. "I'm your last hope. I fail, you die. Think of Mom, will you?"

"Your mother knows I love her," House, Sr. asserted.

"Like you even know what love is? Yeah right! YOUR CRAP IS POISON!" House snapped back. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're seeing what love is." He squirmed while considering his _fiancée. _"She's the only one who'd give me a job or the chance to do what I'm good at. She believes in me despite…what I am." He bowed his head. "WHAT YOU MADE ME!"

"House…Greg, it's okay," she interceded.

"No it isn't!" he growled.

"I tried to make you a man. You're a piss poor excuse for a human being! Look at you. Drug addicted whiner. Yeah you're a man all right," House, Sr. scoffed.

House's eyes flared blue sparks. He shuddered in quiet rage.

"He's more of a man than you'll _ever _be," she insisted. "Come on, Greg. He's right. He needs to sleep."

"Whatever!" House stalked out.

She followed while catching a nurse. "Watch Mr. House. Dr. House and I need to consult." She rushed catching her love. "Come on, House. We need a break." She guided him into the Men's room and locked the door behind them.

"Yeah right. You're thinking of _that _now? What about the interview and Dad?" he doubted.

"I don't care right now. You're the priority. If we lose it, we lose it," she disagreed while pushing against the wall and unbuttoning his shirt.

His hands fumbled for her as well.

And the dance was on……..


	16. A Mother's Stand

Chapter 16 Forty-five minutes later

Chapter 16 Forty-five minutes later

Blythe walked out of the elevator heading for her husband's room. Despite the circumstances, she and Patty had an enjoyable dinner together at Mulligan's Fish Shanty. Now she wanted to know how John and Greg were getting along. _I must remember to thank Lisa for setting that up! _Upon entering the room, she only saw the nurse watching her husband. "Excuse me. Where are Drs. House and Cuddy?"

"They left to discuss something. Dr. House was very upset. Dr. Cuddy asked me to keep an eye on things," the RN reported. "The medicine's been keeping him steady."

"It should be. It burns enough! Kind of like my wimpy son's attitude!" John complained from his bed.

"John, please! Greg is trying," Blythe countered. "He stabilized you at least!"

"Yeah. Whatever that means. Meanwhile I'm in pain!" he spat.

"You rode him again, didn't you?" she queried pointedly. "Of course you did! John, this has to stop! I know you're in pain but it isn't helping!"

"Blythe, don't start…." he asserted.

She shook her head, feeling the frustration of decades upon her shoulders. "I've let you browbeat Greg! He's a man now with a real profession, a chance to save your life and a wonderful _fiancée _to boot! For Heaven's sake, stop what you're doing!"

"Give me a good reason!" he insisted.

"How about making peace with your son? Darn it, John! This thing could kill you. You really want to leave things as they are? Just say you're proud of him! Tell him you love him!" she lectured with teary eyes. Not getting any response, she shook her head and marched back out of the room. About fifty yards down the hall, she slumped onto a bench. _Why can't he understand? WHY? _She looked to the ceiling.

Not surprisingly, there were no answers forthcoming.

_How could I have let it go on? _She recounted several such instances from the past involving father and son.

Each one brought its own pain.

Each one brought its own recrimination.

Before she could delve any further, Cuddy rubbed her arm. "Blythe?"

"Lisa, where's Greg?"

"He's coming. What's wrong?" Cuddy asked with concern.

"Nothing. I just talked to my husband about his treatment of Greg. Maybe it was warranted when he was younger but not now," Blythe explained.

"You'll pardon me if we agree to disagree on the warranted part," Cuddy asserted.

"The ladies are talking. Must be really juicy since my ears are burning," House presumed while limping toward them.

His mother stood to face him. "Greg, sometimes you aren't the easiest person to deal with. I won't talk against your father. But I wanted to let you know how proud I am of you."

He froze. While he could formulate and fire off sarcastic responses to almost any reply, his mother just hit him in the soft spot. He had no insight or witty comment. "Yeah right."

"It's okay. You just keep going the way you are. Lisa and I are here," Blythe continued.

"That's right," Cuddy agreed.

He collapsed onto the bench next to his mother, shaking from his own inner turmoil. Instinctively he reached for the vial.

His mother clamped down on his hand. "No, Greg. Please don't."

"Gotta!" he growled.

Blythe threw her arms around him in a deeply protective hug. "Not this time."

He wanted to push her away. He didn't want his feelings to come gushing out in a public place. He didn't want to feel THAT pain again. "St…stop!"

"No." His mother refused to let go. "I'm here, Greg."

He hung on, sitting there silently and in shock. But on the inside, the hurt and abused part of his psyche bawled its eyes out, exploding in a fit of rage and release.

"House," Cuddy interjected while hugging him from the other side.

He just grabbed onto them both for a full five minutes and silently held them there. He didn't show much emotion. He just wanted to feel their love.

Finally he whispered, "We need to check on him." He forced himself to his feet and limped off toward the room.

As they did so, an announcement came over the PA. "CODE BLUE IN ROOM 322! CODE BLUE IN ROOM 322!"

John was in trouble……


	17. Code Blue

Chapter 17 John's Room—Seven Minutes Earlier

Chapter 17 John's Room—Seven Minutes Earlier

John grumbled to himself. He couldn't believe that everyone was feeling bad for House. He only wanted to toughen his son up. It was for the best. _Now he's pushing that crap on me to get even! It's burning but doing nothing else. _He glared at the nurse. "Can't you get a doctor to stay in here?"

"Mr. House, everyone's doing what they can. Please relax," the RN replied.

"On that note," Hadley interjected while entering the room. "Everything all right?"

"Peachy, Toots. My no-account son and his girlfriend pumped me full of this burning stuff. I feel numb all over. Other than that, I'm doing great," the patient sassed.

"Drs/ House, Cuddy and I are trying the only thing that might work," Hadley pointed out.

As she said that, he gasped and went into convulsions.

"Mr. House!" Hadley checked the computer displays. "His heart's stopped and he can't breathe!" She dialed the phone to get the intercom. "CODE BLUE IN ROOM 322! CODE BLUE IN ROOM 322!"

"What's going on?" Cuddy wondered as she and Blythe ran back in.

"Get the defibrillator in here! His heart's stopped!" Hadley informed them while yanking the pillow out from under the patient's head.

House followed the nurse who pushed the cart in with the device in question on it. "His system's shutting down, People!" He looked at his father. "You aren't dying on me, Dad! Not until we have that talk!" He ripped open the smock and bared the other's chest. "Charging!"

"Clear!" Cuddy yelled.

House jolted his father with the paddles.

"Nothing! Again!" Hadley indicated.

"Clear!" House yelled before zapping the patient again.

Three more times he repeated this mantra.

Three more times it had the same result.

"John! Is he?" Blythe wondered.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. House," Hadley apologized. "House, we need to call it."

"No!" he protested.

"House," Cuddy added. "She's right."

He held the charging paddles in his hand. "Can't be dead. I need….I need…."

"Greg, stop," his mother insisted.

"No, Mom."

"Greg, you did all you could. He's gone," Blythe pointed out.

Cuddy looked at Hadley who nodded. Then she read her watch. "Time of Death: 3:55 PM."

House glared at the body. Even in death, his father had cheated him of the love and praise that he needed. That he still craved even if he wouldn't admit it. Anger burned deep into his gut. "Fine. There's going to be an autopsy. I'm doing it."

"Greg, is that necessary?" his mother asked.

"This disease isn't that well known, Mrs. House. We might be able to find out some more about it. Maybe even make sure that it can't kill again," Hadley explained.

"Gee that's so noble!" House snapped. "I want my team to help me too. That means you too, Hadley."

"You want me?" she asked.

"I need another bleeding heart so Cameron doesn't feel all alone. Well?" he insisted.

"I'll do what I can. Meantime, I'll let Peters know and we'll make the arrangements. Sorry, Mrs. House and Dr. House, for your loss," Hadley concluded before leaving the room.

"There are some things in life we have to deal with, House," Cuddy told him. "As your mother said, we did all we could. The disease was too far along."

"Golf must be murder up here on the UP. Anyone should have seen it," he groused.

"You're right, Greg. But I did try to get your father to Princeton to see you. He wouldn't hear of it. Now we're all paying the price," Blythe concurred before collapsing into the corner chair. "Do you think you can find something that will help others?"

Cuddy responded, "Yes we do. Right?"

"I guess. Big answers in there beside the jelly backbone, I'm sure. Come on, Mom. We'd…better go. Big guy will have Dad moved to the morgue. I'll be down there in the morning. Let's get you home, all right?" House mentioned almost absently while helping his mother from the room.

Before she followed, Cuddy looked back at the deceased man. _Why couldn't you have just said you loved him once? WHY? You could have spared House and us all so much grief! _With that, she headed out after the others.


	18. Nightmare

Chapter 18 Later that Night—Marquette, MI

Chapter 18 Later that Night—Marquette, MI

Rather than return to the hotel, House and Cuddy accompanied Blythe back to her house. While the elder woman had felt all right about being alone (and House didn't want to go back there), Cuddy insisted that they should stay together.

House stared at the ceiling in his old room. His repeated attempts to fall asleep had been interrupted by the old fears creeping back into his mind's eye. With all of the day's emotional refuse, he felt exhausted. Yet he couldn't fall asleep. _He's gone! Deal with it!_

He glanced over at Cuddy who slept soundly. _Figures that she can sleep through it! _He swallowed several Vicodin and lay back on his side. _Just go to sleep, House!_

As he tried again, the Nightmare waited for him again….

Cold Harbor Hospital—February 1984

House opened his eyes to find himself lying on an examination table and staring into a bright white light.

"All you all right, Greg?" a slender dark haired man in a white lab coat asked.

"Yeah I guess. My eye hurts like Hell." The teen sat up and rubbed his forehead. "And who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Peters. You took a serious black eye. Who hit you, Son?"

"I fell," House lied, not wanting to catch further Hell from his father.

"Greg, you didn't fall. State law requires I report this incident," the physician insisted.

"Sorry, Doc." House left the room hurriedly. As he headed for his waiting parents, he shot a mournful look back at the doctor before leaving.

Peters glanced at the charge nurse before shaking his head. _I hope that man doesn't kill the boy!_

"What did you tell him?" John growled before slamming House against the wall.

"John, please!" Blythe pleaded before looking around.

"Nothing! I didn't say anything!" House admitted.

The father backhanded the son across the face over and over again. "You'd better not….not…not…."

Modern Day

"House! HOUSE!" Cuddy urged while shaking him.

"DAMN!" he yelled while sitting up quickly. His face was flushed. He trembled.

"What is it? You were having a nightmare. Are you okay?" she queried with concern.

"Just the crap hitting me in the face is all," he dismissed.

"Your father? This has to do with him?" she pressed.

"What else is new? And that dude, Peters, was there too. Must be some whacked out thing, huh? Freud would have a field day with it," he scoffed at his own fear.

"Peters has been at CHH for thirty years, House. There might be something to it," she disagreed while rubbing his back.

"Kids, are you all right in there?" Blythe asked while peering in the door.

"Just a nightmare, Mom. It's nothing. Sorry," he apologized.

After the door closed, Cuddy told him, "It's okay, House." She put her arms around him. "I'm here. I'm here."

Rather than struggle out of her embrace, he enjoyed her softness and warmth. In that safe harbor, he drifted into a comfortable slumber.


	19. Cameron and Chase Arrive

Chapter 19 Next Day—CHH

Chapter 19 Next Day—CHH

Cameron and Chase walked into the building and looked around the lobby. They'd arrived late on the previous evening and grabbed a hotel room. Now they were (or felt they were) ready to deal with House's latest case.

"Wonder how House and his father are doing?" Chase supposed.

"Not well knowing those two. Wish I knew how to help him with the issues," she indicated while looking at the floor directory. "ICU's on Floor 6. That's our stop." She pressed the elevator call button.

"Yeah. Well parent-child issues are never easy to deal with," he noted grimly.

"Tell me about it," she agreed as they walked out into the ICU and up to the nurse's station. "Excuse me. I'm Dr. Allison Cameron and this is Dr. Robert Chase. We were wondering where we'd find our boss, Dr. Greg House?"

"He hasn't come back in yet," the RN replied. "I guess he and his mother are dealing with what happened to his father."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Mr. House passed away yesterday afternoon. Just a minute, Dr. Hadley was working with him and the other doctor from New Jersey. Her office is right down the hall. Room 656."

"Thanks," Cameron accepted the information. " Come on, Chase. Let's go."

They headed down the hall and found the office in question. Seeing a light under the door, they knocked.

Hadley stuck her head out the door. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Hope so. Are you Dr. Hadley? We were told you were working with House and Cuddy on his father's case," Cameron explained. "I'm Allison Cameron. He's Robert Chase."

"You're House's team," she realized. "Please come in. Was your drive okay?"

"It went," he noted while looking around at the Spartan décor. "What happened yesterday?"

Hadley nodded, appreciating that the two newcomers wanted to get down to business. "Mr. House passed away yesterday from heart failure brought on by his ephlegmigitis. It was too far advanced for us to treat even with the infomycin."

"Sure that stuff didn't cause the heart issues on its own? The trials showed clear pain indicators," he presumed.

"It caused pain, numbness and burning. Mr. House's heart was already in trouble before we started the treatment. We had to revive him right after he came in. He probably had a secondary condition: a heart murmur maybe? Hope you two are ready to assist in an autopsy," Hadley pointed out.

"Is House sure he wants to do this?" Cameron asked despite knowing the Diagnostician's lust for puzzle solving would overrule everything else. "It seems like a pretty open and shut case."

"It is House. Nothing is open and shut especially given that it's his father. Remember how he was with Esther before we solved the case with that boy, Ian?" he reminded her.

Cameron had to concede that point. "But he doesn't need to create a new case of it either."

Hadley leaned back in her chair while watching the two doctors discussing their boss. The insights were helpful in getting a grip on things before she actually worked with them all for the first time. She knew of House's obsession for puzzles of course from the word on the street as well as his articles. However, she had noted both directly and indirectly how House's callousness was both an m. o. and a cover at the same time. He defied the rules to get at the case and to care in his own strange way.

"He's asked you to work with us as a point person?" Cameron inquired.

"He's invited me onboard. Said something about sympathizing with you, Dr. Cameron," Hadley clarified with a smile. "I personally would like to see if there's a connection with a previous heart condition." She shrugged. "If there is, we get his father to the cemetery and hopefully give House some jump on getting closure."

"You know what you're getting into?" he queried.

"I think I have an idea. House doesn't intimidate me. I can see him _annoying _me but I'm sure he does that to everyone," Hadley assured them.

"Wait until after your first case with us before making that statement," Cameron advised knowingly.

"Fine." Hadley shrugged and sipped on her coffee. "What happened with you two back at Princeton? I overheard that you two got fired?"

"We were let go because of…personal issues. Just like House and Cuddy were," he admitted.

"Their loss." Hadley heard her phone ring. "This is Dr. Hadley."

"Hadley, it's Peters. I was wondering how you were doing on the House case. Any word from Drs. House or Cuddy?" Peters requested.

"Not since they left last night. His team just arrived a few minutes ago though. Should I walk them up?" Hadley clarified.

"Please do. Thank you. See you in a few minutes," Peters agreed before hanging up.

"Our administrator, Mr. Peters, wants to meet you. Follow me," Hadley told her visitors before they headed back for the elevator. "He really wants to meet you."

_I'm sure. _Cameron looked at Chase wondering what to expect next on this trip.

Peters' Suite

Even as he waited for the doctors to arrive, Peters gazed out his office window toward the lake. Much as the natives in the OC had found out, House's arrival had spiced things up. Granted, in this case, the situation wasn't directly his to cause—although his issues led to it.

He looked about the space at the mostly empty walls. Save for a few pictures, nothing adorned his walls. No licenses. No diplomas. No anything. He bowed his head. He'd given up his role as a doctor to do full time administrative duties even to the point where his staff didn't address him by the title any longer.

He was sick of the system, recalling too many cases like House's. Yes, as with the visiting doctor, he too remembered that day in the emergency room well. _And yet, House can handle the case? Amazing. _He consulted John House's chart, noting every detail. (For once, House had made a clean record of things.)

The staff representatives had made their recommendation as well: hire House, Cuddy and his team. In addition, they backed his recommendation to let Hadley join the team.

_They'll be good additions to the hospital if they stay. _He furrowed his brow. Despite the connections to Ann Arbor and Marquette, CHH was only a regional facility dwarfed by facilities in Detroit, Chicago and elsewhere. He trusted that Cuddy could work on House to stay in spite of his memories. The others though, he had no idea of what to expect.

A knock on the door broke his reverie. "Yes?"

"Mr. Peters? We're here. Can we come in?" Hadley requested.

"Please do," Peters invited while facing the three doctors as they came in. "Thank you, Dr. Hadley. Drs. Cameron and Chase? I trust your drive up here went well? Can I get you some coffee?"

"That'd be great. Thanks," Cameron agreed as she shook his hand. "Drive went quickly enough."

"Everything all right with you, sir?" Chase inquired.

"Hmmm? Oh certainly. Thank you for asking, Dr. Chase," Peters agreed while pouring the visitors' coffee.

"I'll let you three talk. Let me know if there's anything else. Great meeting you both," Hadley excused herself.

Peters handed them their cups. "So what do you think of this place?"

Chase rubbed his chin, trying to give the administrator a PC answer. "Compact yet a lot to offer."

Cameron sipped on her coffee thoughtfully. "Where are you going with this, Mr. Peters?"

"It's a fair question, Dr. Cameron. I like it when people are direct," Peters responded. "Pity that Princeton fired you both over that policy." Seeing their surprise, he put his hands up reassuringly. "Dr. Wyngate recommended you both very highly when I spoke to him about Drs. House and Cuddy. I'm prepared to offer you both positions here."

"Really?" she asked, feeling surprised about the offer. "We'll need to talk with House and Cuddy first."

"I'm with her. I'd like to know a little more about the hospital before deciding," Chase concurred. "Meantime, we also need to speak with Dr. House about the case."

"Yes. His father's case. Quite a pity. I was hoping House would've received some absolution before his father died. No such luck," Peters recounted sadly. "Those two were a pair."

"You know something," she realized.

"Yes, Dr. Cameron. I remember House as a teenager getting a black eye from his father for no reason in this hospital. It was right after his uncle died." The administrator sighed. "I wanted his father reported but House wouldn't do it."

The two fellows had little response on the outside. Inside, they were both outraged. They knew House had some issues from his past. But they didn't know how he'd be able to work in a place where he'd suffered like that.

Peters rubbed his eyes. "That was before I was in this office. I don't allow such things in my facility. I assure you that I won't smother anyone on my staff."

"So when are we going to do this autopsy?" Chase wondered.

"Whenever Dr. House gets here. I hope he and Dr. Cuddy are all right," Peters declared.

_So do we! _Cameron took a deep breath and hoped for the best.


	20. Negotiations

A/N: This story's turned out to be much longer than I thought

A/N: This story's turned out to be much longer than I thought. Looks like the twists and turns were more involved. Anyhow, we're only a chapter or two and the conclusion away from being done. Thanks for hanging in there!

Chapter 20

On the Road between Marquette and Cold Harbor

House gazed out the window, surveying the countryside and letting his mind wander. After the nightmare, he really didn't sleep well at all. The failure to save his father still weighed on his mind. His mother's sadness ate at him as well. He popped a couple of Vicodin absently.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Cuddy wondered from the driver's side.

"Just peachy. Gearing up for the big event. Hope Cameron and Chase enjoyed the trip. We got ourselves some real fun now," he retorted tersely.

"I'm sure if they aren't there yet, they'll be there soon," she assured him. "I hope your mother's going to be okay."

He shrugged. "She's good at that. Always knew how to shut out what was going on."

"That isn't fair to her," she chastised.

WHAT ABOUT ME? SHE ALWAYS IGNORED ME WHEN DAD DID IT!" he bellowed back.

She sighed, knowing what the situation was doing to him. "I can imagine. Sorry, House."

"Yeah. You don't know. It's okay," he told her absently.

"At least he can't hurt you anymore," she assured him. "House, I'm not discounting the past. Maybe though with him gone, we can focus on the future. Your mother was in the middle of a bad situation. We can all start over. Our baby's going to need its grandmother. Chase, Cameron and Hadley would be a good team for you. It can't hurt to try."

"Sounds way cool. Too bad it ain't that easy, Cuddy. Pain lingers on like bad limburger. It keeps going and going," he countered.

"I know it does, House. But we need to start with something. We just need to give it time."

"Time, time, time. Sure, make it sound like a budget thing," he groused while sipping from a lukewarm coffee cup.

"I didn't mean it like that. Your pain is going to be with you whether we're in Princeton, here or in Timbuktu. Why not work on a solid foundation to make life bearable? That's all I'm proposing," she pointed out.

"I can deal with that," he agreed. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," she indicated with a gentle smile for him.

An hour and a half later—CCH Morgue

Cameron, Chase and Hadley flanked John's body in the midst of the morgue. After hearing from House and Cuddy, they hustled down there and made sure everything was in order.

Fifteen minutes into the vigil, their boss limped into the room. "Lookie what we've got here! The kiddies are ready to party!"

"House, this isn't a party," Hadley noted dryly.

"Really?" He straightened himself and gave the resident doctor the sarcastic stare. "WHOA! Like I don't know that! Bet you're lots of fun at those office parties!"

"House, your father. Remember?" Cameron reminded House.

"Yeah. Gotta find the big bad disease and whatever else. Knew that he didn't have the heart for it," House cracked.

The other three doctors looked at each other as the procedure started.

Two hours later—Peters' Suite

Cuddy checked her watch and paced about the suite. While she wished she was down with House and the others in the morgue, she didn't want to get in the way. In the meantime, she and Peters had talked about the job offers and their positions.

"Everything seems in order. I just want to see this case closed for all of our sakes," Peters hoped.

"This end of it at least. I was talking to House about starting over. Let's hope he'll still want to go along with it," she presumed.

At that moment, House and his team came through the door.

"What's the verdict?" Peters wondered.

"Dad's heart condition couldn't deal with the bad stuff. Damage to the brain stem, liver and stomach," House reported while slapping a file on the desk.

Peters skimmed the results and nodded. "Seems like it. Good work, Dr. House and everyone." He glanced at Cuddy and then at the others. "May it be the first of many. Have you given some thought to working here?"

House hesitated at the offer given his memories and nightmares. The UP was really the last place in the world he wanted to be. Still he had to ask himself if there was really any place he wanted to be. If there was anywhere where the Pain wouldn't haunt him.

His infarcted hip.

The drug addiction.

The inferiority of the morons surrounding himself.

The War against all adversaries—familial and professional.

He took out the pill vial and dry swallowed four more pills, granting himself temporary release from the pain. As he did so, he saw other good things around himself even if he didn't want to admit it to their faces.

His affection for the Ducklings despite their annoying tendencies.

A person that understood his pain, could deal with it and offer him a job anyhow.

A woman who knew his heartache and could accept him as a husband and the father to their child.

Would he have it any better anywhere else?

Would he want anything else?

Even if he wouldn't admit to anyone else?

He nodded. "Yeah. I have." He looked around at the others. "I can't leave you all to deal with this crap alone, can I?"

"As if we'd let you?" Cameron sassed.

"As if you could survive without me?" House supposed in return.

"You just keep thinking that, House," Cuddy informed him. "Just sign the damn contract already."

He glanced back at his _fiancée _sarcastically.

Her look was just as unwavering as his.

"Fine," he groused while signing the document.

"Nice to see you agreed to the extra Clinic hours too, House," Cuddy gibed.

"Groovy." He rolled his eyes at her even as he handed the document back to Peters.

"They aren't that many extra hours, Dr. House," Peters assured him. "I've broken them up over the space of several months."

"How good of you. Can't wait to see how it turns out," the Diagnostician retorted albeit with some half-hearted sarcasm. "Meantime Cuddy and I have a bet to fulfill."

"_After _Patty shows us a couple of potential homes," Cuddy reminded him while looking at her watch. "Speaking of which, if we hurry, we can be back in Orchard Cove in time for our appointment."

"We're done here. I'll make arrangements to have your father's body transported to Marquette. And I'll have Drs. Cameron and Chase brought up to speed. That is if they wish to accept employment here as well," Peters pointed out.

"Count us in," Chase agreed.

"Somebody needs to keep an eye on him," Cameron noted wryly. "See you first thing Monday, House."

"Already pushing your luck, Cameron?" House retorted.

"Always," she retorted with a grin. "Don't harass him too hard, Cuddy."

"I won't," Cuddy agreed before helping House out of the room.

"Meantime, let's see if Hadley wants lunch. Maybe she can give us some pointers about apartments around town?" Chase supposed.

"Sure. There was a deli I saw down the street. Maybe she might like that," Cameron agreed.

"Just sign these forms and we'll be set," Peters agreed. When they had done so, he smiled. "Excellent. Welcome aboard. Both of you. We'll see you on Monday."

"Sounds great," Cameron concurred as they all shook hands.

After the two new doctors had left, Peters gazed out the window once again. Unlike before, he saw a little bit of hope on the horizon for his facility. _House has his issues but he and his team are what we need. Hopefully the OC can give him what he needs too._


	21. Shanty Talk

Chapter 21 Ice Shanty—Lake Michigan—Next Day

Chapter 21 Ice Shanty—Lake Michigan—Next Day

After reacquiring her childhood home (thanks to Patty's intervention) and checking on his mother, House and Cuddy retreated to their hidden sanctuary on the frozen lake. Given everything else that had happened on this trip, the fishing expedition would be good for both of them.

"Nice to know you can handle your way around the stove, House," Cuddy sassed while walking back into the shanty.

"Had to do something while you were farting around out there. Manage to do anything useful?" he retorted while serving up some franks and beans.

She smirked sarcastically while holding up a string of three good sized togue in her hand. "Less talk, less looking at my chest and more catching, House."

"Whoa! Guess you threatened them with eternal Clinic duty if they didn't cough up the goods. Know the feeling. I'd kill myself too," he cracked.

She sampled the beans and arched her eyebrow at him. "Eating these beans might do the same to me. Who taught you how to cook them?"

"They're out of the can, Cuddy. You Empress types love the quick and easy way I thought." He shrugged while eating another bite. "Bet you're on Cloud 9 thinking about sleeping where your folks did. The sex should be cool!"

She rolled her eyes. "You really know how to kill the sentimental feeling, you know that?" She silently considered him for a minute before continuing, "It's our life, House. It's more than just sex."

"Yeah. I know. It's full time Empress 24-7."

She rubbed his arm. "Every Empress needs her Emperor." She kissed his cheek. "Granted I have to keep you in line but I need you."

"Yeah like you're woman enough?" he supposed.

"Try me, House," she insisted while kissing him again. "We do have almost an hour before you're due out to check the tip ups again. Maybe…?"

He eased her down onto the cot on the shanty's west wall. "That's an order I can deal with, Empress…."


	22. New JobSame situation sorta

Conclusion Three Weeks Later—CHH Diagnostics Department

Conclusion Three Weeks Later—CHH Diagnostics Department

House looked around his newly-established dominion and considered the whole 'circle of life' thing (as Cameron had put it) which they'd all been on. Death and life rituals had come and gone. In between visits to his father's grave and the wedding on the previous weekend, the Diagnostics and Cuddy's radiology teams had cracked their share of cases.

Now he sat back in his chair pondering the whole thing. He stared at the gold band on his right hand. _You've got a commitment now, House. Hope I can deal with her when she wants to be a royal pain in the ass! _He rolled his eyes.

"House, where's your team?" Cuddy asked while sticking her head in the room.

"Hadley's doing whiner patrol. Chase and Cameron are doing rounds. Wait! Maybe we should check the broom closets or extra beds! Think they might have ideas?" he cracked.

"I think they have enough chances at home, House," she assured him while entering the room.

He saw the developing "bump" in her middle. He admired how her wedding ring caught the light with ease, sparkling in perfect symmetry between its facets. "Don't let it go to your head, Cuddy."

"_House_, remember? Since I put up with you, the name goes with it," she reminded him.

"You'll always be Cuddy to me. Gotta keep you in your place, ya know," he informed her although with a playful smirk to let her know he was kidding.

"Yeah well…keep going and the couch will be the place for you. The one in the garage," she retorted with an arched eyebrow. "Remember you do have Clinic duty yourself at 4." She kissed him. "With me." Seeing him roll his eyes in an exaggerated display, she smirked. "Just a way I _keep you in your place_, House." She kissed him and walked confidently out of the room.

"Yeah nice to see some things don't change," he remarked to himself. On that note, he pulled out his mini-TV and tuned into his latest soap.

Maybe they were in a new place and with some new things but House was in his domain.

And that's what counted…..

THE END


End file.
